The Dream of the Infinite
by nuko.writer
Summary: An "ending" was an unfamiliar concept to her. She always thought that she would be able to spend eternity by his side yet unlike her Issei Hyoudou had an end.
1. Prologue: Creating a destined meeting

Salutations! ... Hmmmm, is that how greetings between an author and his readers are done?

Well anyway thank you for taking the time to take a look at this fic. Though i have written stories before, this is the first time i have written anything that would be presented to a potentially large audience. I've been lurking around this site for a long time and I guess the countless wonderful fics I have read had inspired me to try my hand at writing one myself.

This is my first fic, constructive criticism is welcome.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Original World}==

"…Issei Hyoudo"

She had uttered a name of a certain boy. It was a name that held great significance to her, a name that would stay in her memories to the ends of time. It was the name of the one being that she could consider as her friend.

Names were convenient things. It allowed one to distinguish one existence from the other. Despite the fact that she had existed longer than most beings, it was only recently that she had begun to take interest and appreciate the unique characteristics possessed by others.

She was after all the Ouroboros Dragon, the one who symbolized the infinite. Though originally she held neither gender nor name, humans and a certain strong willed devil boy had influenced her greatly. Now she was distinguished as a female entity known by the name of Ophis.

She had existed long before, however the majority of her existence was spent in the comfort of the silence provided by the dimensional gap; an endless and timeless void that could only be entered by certain means. She had originally thought that she would stay still in that timeless void yet she was proven wrong when another being had taken the dimensional gap as its home.

Said being was known only as Great. Similar to her own existence, Great Red held power that no other being could match and was distinguished as the "true dragon". However, unlike her who symbolized the concept of "infinite" and "nothingness", Great Red instead symbolized the concept of "dreams" and "illusions". Though coexistence may have been possible for the two, Great Red had taken to flying endlessly in the void, disturbing her silence.

Having the comfort of silence taken away from her, Ophis had attempted to reclaim her home by eliminating the red dragon. Using her boundless infinite power, she had engaged Great Red in combat. The battle that ensued had been so destructive that if it had been held in the real world, it would not be an exaggeration to say that the majority of living beings would cease to exist. Despite her efforts however she was defeated. No true harm had been done to her; however she was unable to drive away the intruder disturbing her home.

At the time she was unable to comprehend the cause for her loss, though now she fully understood it. Her time with Issei Hyoudo had made her realized many things; one being the fact that there where many things about the world and its inhabitants that she could not understand. Though she had interacted with the real world before, it was only when she had met Issei Hyoudo that she experienced how truly interesting the world and its inhabitants were. The boy had shown her that there was no truly impossible feat for as long as you held the drive and will to realize it and that each living being held the potential to realize countless possibilities.

It was this fact that allowed her to realize why she had lost to Great Red. The red dragon symbolized the concept of dreams and illusions, it held the power to realize or actualize nearly any idea that could be conceived. The red dragon could essentially do _anything_, from shooting concentrated beams of power to even creating gods. That is why despite the fact that she held infinite power, enough to even dwarf that of Great Red's, she had still lost and was forced to enlist the help of other beings.

Though it was a troublesome experience for her, now she considered it to be what humans call "a blessing in disguise". It was because of the intrusion of the red dragon that allowed her path to cross with the boy named Issei Hyoudo.

Issei Hyoudo had interested her greatly. The boy inherited the boosted gear that held the power of the welsh dragon Draig. The power it granted was enough to slay the gods themselves; however every human being that had wielded it had met an improper end. Most of its former wielders were consumed by the power they obtained. Yet despite the fate met by the boy's predecessors, despite the fact that the boy was considered to be the weakest among the boosted gear's wielders, the boy was able to break and transcend both the curse and the supposed fate accompanying it. The boy drew power from the strangest and most uncanny places and had never allowed the power to consume his psyche. He had remained the kind yet perverted boy that everyone knew and loved.

The seemingly unbreakable will he possessed allowed him to go above and beyond everyone's expectations. He was able to do the impossible and he had achieved and wielded the level of power that would have consumed anyone else. These characteristics he possessed had interested her greatly, but the true reason why she decided to go and stay by his side was simple; he had called her his friend.

She found that her decision to accompany Issei Hyoudo in his journey had been the best one she had made. Unfortunately she was a being that time itself cannot touch, hence she was never really able to comprehend meaning of an "ending". She vaguely understood the concept from the video games she was given to play and the shows that she had watched in the thing they called television, but it wasn't enough to prepare her for the "end" of her time with Issei. She didn't want that to end, she wanted to keep going with him wherever he went even if it was the afterlife, she wanted to forever stay by his side.

Issei's passing had been the only time she had truly hated her origin and her power. She found that her power was unable to keep her by his side. Her power was unable to bring him back, and the very same thing had prevented her from accompanying him in his death. Her life had become empty after his death and she found that not even the passage of time could ever hope to change it. She found that the human saying "time heals all wounds" was untrue, for her time had only worsened it.

That was when she had made a decision. A decision that set into motion a long series of events that would influence and affect many lives. A decision that would once again allow her to be by his side.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Dimensional Gap}==

It was a world that time could not touch. It was filled with an eerie silence that was only broken by the noise made by the flapping of wings. It was a world she was very familiar with and one she had not seen for quite some time. She had considered once again residing in this place after Issei's passing, however she opted to travel and learn more things about the world since it would most likely be what the boy would wish for her to do.

She returned to her former home for a single purpose; to find Great Red. She had neither had the intention to drive away the red dragon nor living with it. Though she once found comfort in this place, she was unable to enjoy it for the same reason she that she never stayed in a single place, the lack of the existence called Issei Hyoudo. She wanted to see him again, to be by his side again, and for that purpose she needed the power of Great Red.

Truth be told she did have the potential to realize her own wish but unfortunately having an infinite amount of power did not mean had the ability or proficiency to do anything she wished. Raw power no matter the amount cannot do anything by itself. After all, for her wish to be granted an idea, a means, or a plan must first be conceived before she could use her power to create and realize it, and no other being in existence could possibly give her a greater chance in succeeding than Great Red.

"Great Red"

She called the dragon with a volume of voice that one would use in a conversation with a person nearby. It was enough though since the red dragon had stopped its performing its aerial manoeuvres and had turned its body to look at her. With a low growl that seemed to express its irritation, Great Red moved its massive body over to Ophis' location performing a full backflip before landing with enough force to cause a small shake of the ground.

'**Oi Ouroboros…. What the heck is it? Did you come for a fight?'**

If a being other than a dragon were to hear the red dragon, they would only be able to make out growls and roars. Unlike Ophis, Great Red did not speak any human language but those of the same race were able to understand his words perfectly. On a side note, if humans were able to understand the red dragon's way of speaking, they would most likely liken the red dragon to a gruff delinquent biker.

"Great Red, I have come to make a request. I would like to borrow your power"

Revealing her wings, Ophis flies upward to elevate herself to eye level with the dragon. She had a look of determination but it came off as a flat and empty stare much to the red dragon's unease. Great Red hated being stared at, especially like that.

'**What would you even need my power for!? You can do it yourself!'**

With another growl, the red dragon began to turn and prepare to fly once again but was stopped by Ophis' next words.

"Issei Hyoudo"

With those words, the red dragon had once again turned to face Ophis. That name had also held significance for the red dragon. It was the name of someone it acknowledged and approved of. The time that it was able to spend with that boy was short but was more than enough to develop respect. It was in fact the only name other than that of the Ouroboros dragon that it could even recognize.

'**Hmph…. So, what could my power possibly have to do with Issei Hyoudo?'**

If those who knew the Ouroboros dragon in the past where to see her now they would be in shock to see that the always stoic and expressionless dragon actually had a small smile in her face.

"Great Red, I want to you to lend me your power so that I can realize my dream"

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Another World}==

"IT'S MORPHING TIME!"

A man on the television shouted prompting himself and his fellow rangers to engage in their transformation sequence and then proceeded to fight the monster. Just as the monster was losing a truly surprising plot twist had taken place, the monster had somehow used its eldritch powers granted to it by some unknown being of evil to turn increase its size to that of Godzilla proportions. Not to be outdone, the heroes each summon their respective mechanical beasts and proceeded to combine them into one giant robot. With the power of friendship and camaraderie and after a speech or two, the rangers were able to defeat the monster.

To any adult it was a group of actors wearing costumes with some fancy props and special effects thrown in. To six year old children however it was as real as it could possible get. In fact, nothing could possibly more awesome to them than a hero defeating the forces of evil and saving the day. Case in point:

"THAT WAS AWESOME! HAH! IRI-KUN LET'S GO! IT'S MORPHING TIME!"

A boy with brown spiky hair had shouted at the top of his lungs the second the credits rolled. He stood up and copied the poses and actions made by the heroes in an attempt to transform himself.

"Got it Ise-kun! It's morphing time!"

A girl with short chestnut colored hair had shouted the lines as well, though with a little less volume, while performing the same poses right behind him.

Issei Hyoudo and Irina Shidou were normal six year old children and have been friends since they were four. They were currently in the Shidou residence, which was only a few blocks away from Ise's house, watching their favourite tokusatsu show. They were both big fans of heroes and had dreamed of someday becoming as cool and as strong as their idols so they can vanquish evil by themselves, it was what brought them together.

"OK I got it! Iri-kun lets become heroes and defend the world from bad guys!" Ise had stopped his posing and looked straight at Irina. If special effects were to be placed in this scene than the boys eyes would, without a doubt, be burning with passion, literally.

"Yeah! Let's become strong and beat up all the bad guys! "

In their excitement Ise tips over vase on the table near them. With the reflexes than could only be seen in a child that did not want to receive the wrath of their parents no matter what, they were both able to somehow catch the vase before it had landed on the ground.

"Whew…. That was close…. Kaa-chan would kill us if we broke the vase"

With great relief in the fact that they had just avoided a horrible fate for any child, Irina places the vase back on the table in the exact same position and facing it was in before it was tipped over, they could never be too careful or her mother would notice. She then proceeded to pretend that what occurred in the last few seconds had never really happened. It was then that a very important question had come to mind.

"Ise-kun…. How do we become heroes? Do we have to beat a monster or something? Ah right! Kaa-chan read a story to me once about a guy becoming a hero after he beat up a dragon! Let's go find a dragon and beat it up!" Not realizing that her solution was just as impossible, she had proceeded by telling her friend about the story of a hero slaying a dragon added with wild hand gestures and sound effects.

The six year old boy was shocked at what he heard. Dragons where his most favourite things in the world and would never beat one up. He liked dragons better than heroes or pretty much anything else, red dragons for some reason were even better for him. He didn't really get why but he also seemed to like the colour red a lot, maybe it was because it felt like it made stuff 3 times faster? Yes, that was definitely the reason.

"NO! No beating up dragons! Dragons are with the good guys so we can't fight them! I think that we can become heroes if we learn how to transform…" He fell into silence suddenly remembering something.

He couldn't remember when it started but for some reason he had been getting strange dreams. There were a lot of people he didn't recognize, and for some reason he was taller in them too… A particularly prominent part of those dreams was this girl with black hair in strange black clothing that kept calling his name.

Irina noticed that Ise became quiet but before she could speak the door suddenly opened and Mrs. Shidou had come in. She scanned the room for any broken or missing item to make sure that the children were behaving. Irina and Issei had a tendency to get too excited and she didn't want another broken appliance and an injured child at her hands. She still couldn't get how those two managed to destroy the ceiling fan.

Suddenly remembering the incident with the vase a few minutes ago, the two became eerily silent and had just opted to freeze in place. The last time something was broken and Issei got injured, they were scolded until their ears fell off and were grounded for a 2 weeks and were forbidden from playing any of their games. For a child, that was equivalent to an eternity of boredom. After a few moments passed, Mrs. Shidou had looked at them with slight curiosity over their behaviour. No anger could be found in her eyes so the pair was able rest easy.

"Ise-chan, It's getting a bit late will you be staying over for dinnner?" Mrs. Shidou asked, waving off the children's strange behaviour to the trauma they received from getting scolded and grounded the last time they did something stupid.

"… Eh?" Ise immediately turns to the clock on the wall and sees it was already 4:30pm. He needed to be home before nightfall or his parents will get worried. He still had an hour or so more but it was better to be early.

"Ah! Sorry Shidou-san, I need to get home now! Bye Iri-kun, I'll see you on Saturday!" Grabbing the small bag he brought, Ise went out of the Shidou residence in a hurry.

"Ise-chan make sure to take care on your way home! And - Ah really now, that boy should learn to listen first before rushing out like that." Giving a sigh of exasperation, Mrs. Shidou turned to her daughter who was wearing letting out a small laugh at her friend's actions.

"Irina… I went to see your room a few minutes ago and I was pretty sure I told you to clean it" Mrs. Shidou levelled a stern look at her daughter who was smiling sheepishly.

"Ehehehe…. Oh right… Ise-kun came over and I forgot to do it but since he already went home I guess I'll do it now!" Irina quickly runs off to her room hoping to avoid any scolding that may come.

"Ah—Irina! Be done before six, papa's calling from the Europe later!"

"Really!? Yayyy!"

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

After rushing out of the Shidou residence Ise decided to take a longer route back home. He still a lot of time before he needed to be home so he decided to roam around for a bit.

Honestly he was just hoping that maybe he would meet someone from the strange dreams he was having lately if he walked around a bit. He knew it was dream and when he told his parents about it, they just waved it off as the imagination of a child, but for some reason it felt real… Something was telling him it was real.

'_It feels like I've known them for a really long time. Their faces are all blurry but I kinda recognize them… but there was that one girl with black hair who doesn't have a blurry face'_

Most of the people that appear in his dreams didn't have faces. The one exception to that was a certain black haired girl with black and frilly clothing who liked to call his name.

'Yeah, I wonder who that girl is…. She had those weird clothes too'

Right at that moment a something caught his eye. It was only a glimpse but he recognized the clothing and the hair of the person.

"Eh…? …Wasn't that?"

Before he even realized he was already chasing after the familiar figure. It seemed to suddenly disappear every time it turned into a corner and would suddenly reappear in another place. He followed the figure without fail but eventually lost sight of it.

"Haah….Haahh… Where… did she go?"

Taking a break to catch his breath, he went into a small park.

"Ah….."

He was frozen on the spot by what he saw. It was the figure he was following, but more importantly, it was the girl in the dreams he kept having. The girl had deep black hair wearing black and frilly clothing. She was sitting on a swing and was looking down at the ground.

He didn't understand, he couldn't understand. But he felt like he knew this girl. It was even stranger that for some reason, a name came up in his mind.

"….Ophis"

Was the word that came out of his mouth. He didn't know why he called her that, but it felt like he needed to say it.

Looking up, the girl had looked at him right in the eye, her gaze felt like it was probing the very depths of his soul. Her face was expressionless but there was a spark in her eyes as she recognized who called her name.

"Issei Hyoudo"

…and so their story starts

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

Author's Notes:  
Thank you once again for reading this, I would appreciate if you were to leave your thoughts about it in a review :D


	2. Chapter 1: Her feelings

Hello once again!

First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to all who took the time to read and reviewed this story! I'm happy that my story was received well.

Now to answer some of the reviews:

Ranma Uzumaki - The answer is yes for both questions. I feel that being a pervert is an integral part of Ise's personality so I didn't want to take that out. It will be toned down though due the events that he will undergo.

Oni X-Wolf - Unfortunately, the harem will exist though the story will focus on Ise and Ophis. It's a bit difficult for me to imagine the interactions of the girls in the ORC, especially Rias and Asia, if they weren't head over heels for Ise.

For all who are wondering exactly what Great Red and Ophis had done, it will be explained in next few chapters. If you are curious then please continue to read the story :). Hopefully, i will be able to provide an answer that most would not expect.

To those who are able to notice any mistakes thank you, I will make sure to correct them.

With regards to this chapter:

I had put a lot of thought into writing this one. My goal for this was to show how Ophis' character. Each side, Ophis' point of view, Ise's point of view, and {Nostalgia} is supposed to allow everyone to see Ophis' character in different angles

The first part {Nostalgia} is a story from the past, in their original world. These segment are related to the actual story. I will occasionally add this segments every now and then.

The last part {Halycon Days} is an omake segment I had written that is also set in the original world, this one was just for fun.

As a side note, I will update this story every 1 to 2 weeks.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any of its wonderful characters

Now on with the story!

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Nostalgia}==

"Ise" She called to the name of the boy who seemed to be taking a nap on the rocking chair inside the break room. The chair was mistakenly delivered to their home one day and everyone simply decided to keep it. The whole house (mansion) was quiet due to the fact that everyone seemed to be doing their own business. It was a Sunday and Ise only had only some devil work to do today but had finished early so he went back and took a nap while waiting for the others to come home.

Looking around the room Ophis saw the books lined up in the shelf that she saw the others liked to read. The books there seemed to have a lot of pictures instead of words; she recalled that Ise called it "manga". She picked one randomly and went to Ise who was still asleep. When she got to Ise she carefully went up to him and sat on his lap, making sure not to wake him up; she was told that it was rude to interrupt another person's rest.

Sitting on Ise's lap was something she did anytime they were alone together. She had always been curious as to why Toujou Koneko and Ravel Phenex seem argue over sitting on Ise's lap so she decided to take the chance to try it when Ise was alone. She had to wait for quite some time for that opportunity to come since everyone seemed to want to make sure that Ise was accompanied by at least one member of the group at all times. It was actually very rare for Ise to be alone.

Once she had been able to sit on his lap she was able to somewhat understand why the others had fought over the right to sit on it. Such a simple act had put her to ease and had given her a sense of comfort, something that the silence of the dimensional gap had once provided her with. The first time she had tried to sit on his lap had been somewhat difficult because of the dress she wore so she made sure to wear the pyjamas that was brought for her when she did it. It was the reason why she tended to always wear said pyjamas when she was at home.

She opened the manga she picked out from the shelf. She scrutinized each page, making sure to take in every detail such as facial expressions, body language, and use of words. She had much to learn about these kinds of things. It was all for the sake of understanding Ise better.

'_A smile is complicated… It seems to generally express happiness and joy yet this character seems to smile despite experiencing pain from severe injuries… does a smile hold other meanings?'_ She took note of a particular character who was heavily injured but was still smiling.

'_This one is… crying. One cries when they are in pain or have lost something of importance… yet she seemed to have accomplished her goal… why does she cry?'_ She turned the pages and continued to read the story trying to identify and relate to the emotions displayed by the characters.

"Hmmmm… Ophis?" Ise had woken up from his nap and started to stretch his body a bit. Ophis on the other hand had adjusted her body so that she was sitting sideways in his lap.

"Ise… why is this person crying?" She went back to that particular page and lifted up the manga she was reading so Ise could see it.

"She had succeeded yet she is crying, is she unsatisfied?" She looks towards Ise hoping to get an answer. The more she observed others the more she realized how complicated they were.

"Ah… well she's crying because she's happy" Ise replied after rubbing his eyes and having a quick look. He had already read that manga before.

"She is crying… due to happiness?" Ophis tilts her head in confusion closing her eyes to ponder Ise's answer. If one were to concentrate on her face, they would be able to see the dragon god pouting.

Yes, the infinite dragon, the dragon god, the former second-strongest existence in the world was currently pouting.

"Ah…" Ise was now fully awake due to the surprise he experienced from seeing Ophis change expressions. Though she had spent a lot of time with them and was more willing to converse and express herself in words she still kept up that blank face of hers. Changes of expression from her were very rare and now for the first time in his life he really, _really _wanted a camera right.

If Ise were to be frank, Ophis looked extremely cute right now. Cute enough to get a lot of weak willed people imprisoned on charges of child abduction.

"Ise, why would happiness make you cry?" Ophis had changed her expression back to her normal blank one much to Ise's disappointment.

"Well… sometimes when you become really happy, you get so overwhelmed that you cry." He replied, not really able to properly explain it. It was one of those things you just understood so putting it into words was difficult.

"Ummm… for example… ahh… right! If Rias and everyone were to wear a naked apron I would be so happy I would cry! Hehehe…. Rias in a naked apron… Akeno-san in a naked apron…. Asia-chan… "

Ise's thoughts had quickly devolved into fantasy mode, Harem King Times: Naked Apron Edition. Ophis, noticing the perverted expression on his face had decided to try and understand things herself.

'_Tears brought on by happiness… I wonder if I will be able to experience it…'_

Afterwards, when Ise had snapped out of his perverted delusions, he continued to help Ophis, who never left his lap, with trying to understand emotions. Ophis would ask a question and he would try his best to answer. A certain former governor of fallen angels would later come to see Ise in the rocking chair sleeping with Ophis in his arms. He had promptly and silently took pictures with a camera.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Kuoh Park}==

=={Ophis' side}==

It was a fond memory of hers. During the times when they were alone she would always take the opportunity to sit on his lap. She had once entertained the idea of asserting dominance over that particular privilege however she did not want to infringe upon Toujou Koneko's rights to it. It was widely known that Ise's lap was independent territory that had been claimed by the nekomata and one must observe proper etiquette when obtaining the right to sit on it. Such etiquette required asking for permission (read: begging) and offering gifts (read: bribing with A LOT of food) for her to temporarily rescind her position to another.

She looked towards the boy whose name she had called. It was indeed Issei Hyoudou albeit a younger version of him. He looked smaller and less perverted than the Ise in her memories though she knew that was because he was younger.

'_Had my presence already drawn a significant change?'_ She thought to herself. Meeting the boy at this point of time would surely create significant changes and such changes would continue. A part of her worried if this world was capable of withstanding the changes they had made, their original world may have also been affected, but she shook off such worries.

'_What Great Red and I had had done would ensure that at the very least our original world would be left untouched and unchanged.'_ The two ultimate existences had made sure that the fulfilment of her dream would not create unwanted side-effects to their original home; paradoxes and such where far too troublesome to handle. She was however, unsure of how the current world they were in was fairing.

'_He is here, I am here with him. Our time together can still be continued. That is what matters.' _

She closed her eyes and breathed in and out to calm herself and her worries. If one who knew her in the past where to be privy to her thoughts, they would most likely remark that the current Ophis was a far cry from the emotionless being she once was.

"W-What's wrong?! A-are you okay?!" Her eyes open at the panic voice of the boy. She could feel his hands grasping her shoulders. His face had gotten close to hers and she noticed it was filled with worry.

"You're crying! Are you okay?" The boy was not able to understand what could possibly make the girl in front of him cry. To a six year old boy, someone only cries when they were hurt.

She brought up her hand and touched her face and wiped the tears on her face, realising that she was indeed crying. She had not noticed that she had shed tears. She knew that the boy's worries were not unfounded, tears, after all, usually signified that a person was experiencing some form of pain though right now she was neither in any pain nor was she grieving. She was reminded once again of what Ise had told her before.

'_Then these tears… are these… tears of happiness?'_ She mused to herself whilst closing her eyes. Ise had once told her that there were times when one would shed tears when they were truly happy. She had never understood why someone would cry when they were happy but she was experiencing it herself.

'_Yes… right now, I am… very happy' _She nods to herself after confirming what she was feeling. It was a new experience for her and despite the time she has spent with Ise and the others she was still learning about her the ins and outs emotions.

"I am fine" She opens her eyes after wiping the remaining tears on her face giving Ise a small smile. She had placed her gaze back onto the boy who seemed to be doubtful of her words. Seeing as her words didn't seem to placate the boy, she opted for a different approach.

"E-Eh…?" Ise had blurted out as Ophis had suddenly hugged him while awkwardly patting his head. Ise had gone a bit stiff due to her actions.

"I am fine. There is no need to worry." She asserted once again. From her observation, things like hugs, head pats, lap pillows and sitting on laps were both gestures of affection and a means to provide comfort and ease. Such things were common in the Gremory group. She herself had experienced the security provided by sitting on Ise's lap many times before. Both her hug and head pat were slightly awkward though, it was her first time doing it as it was usually done to her instead.

'_Ise seems to still be ill at ease. Should I have him sit on my lap?'_ Nodding once again she had separated herself from Ise and sat on one of the benches. She then proceeds to stare at the boy while she patted her lap once to show she was ready for him to sit on it.

"A-ano… what are you doing?" Ise had scrunched up his forehead in confusion. Her actions seemed to have only made the boy more uneasy.

'_Does he not want to sit on my lap or… was my invitation unheeded?'_ She continued to stare at Ise waiting for him to sit on her lap. She had observed in the past that simple act of sitting down was a signal to another that they were free to sit on their lap. Toujo Koneko had always taken the opportunity to sit on Ise's lap the moment he had taken a seat.

'_It may be due to my size…'_ They were currently of roughly the same height though she recalled that height should not have been an issue. The older female members also took the liberty of sitting on his lap during the absence of the younger ones.

'_I may change my form however… It is… impossible in my current state…'_ She once again closed her eyes, contemplating on how to ease Ise of his worries. He current self was able to use power but was incapable of changing form. Another approach should be taken.

'_If I am incapable of bringing comfort then maybe I must try to bring him happiness'_ Setting herself in a course of action she begun to think of possible ways of making Ise happy. She had no need to think too hard on this matter since there was something that would easily make Ise happy.

'_Yes… There is something that would surely make Ise happy'_

=={Ise's side}==

Ise on the other hand was completely quiet, trying his hardest to understand what the girl had been doing ever since they had met. He lowered his head to think.

'_She was crying… but she said it was fine… now she's all quiet, she's a bit weird. Maybe I can ask her about my dream now'_

Deciding that it was time for him to take the initiative and ask his questions he looked towards the Ophis only to be taken by surprise.

"W-Waaaaiiiit! W-Why are you taking your clothes off?!" He couldn't help but shout out after seeing that Ophis was indeed slowly taking her clothes off. His mother had told him to always wear clothes in public. He had been scolded before for running around naked in a beach.

Ophis on the other hand only tilted her head and gave him a confused look.

"To make Ise happy" Was the only reply she gave as she finished removing her dress. She had replied like it was as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

An apron had then suddenly appeared from thin air much to Ise's surprise. She grabbed the apron and proceeded to wear it and then stared at Ise.

"Ise…It is a naked apron… are you happy?"

For some strange reason Ise had felt happy. He didn't know why but he was glad that he could see this particular sight. He would sometimes feel it in his dreams.

His dreams were weird since he couldn't hear any voices even when someone was speaking and the faces were blurred so he couldn't see them properly. He could however feel whatever emotion the bigger version of him was feeling. Sometime he felt angry, sometimes very happy, and sometimes excited. The strangest and most common one though was for some reason he really wanted to touch breast.

He didn't understand that last one.

Though he really did feel slightly happy right now, there wasn't any time right now. He first needed to do something.

"Okay! Ophis-chan you shouldn't take your clothes of in public! Your okaa-san would get mad at you!"

A black haired girl offered no reply and simply watched Ise as he was picking up her clothes on the ground.

After a few minutes of scolding and explanations, Ophis had finally gotten dressed once again. He was sitting on the ground somewhat exhausted from current events.

_'Okay… alright… I can ask her now…'_ He stood up and dusted off the dirt on his clothes. When he looked around he saw that it was getting pretty dark.

"Eh… is already night? Ah! Kaa-san will get mad at me if I don't get back now!" He had frantically looked around trying to figure out which way was the fastest to get home. Deciding on his course he had almost run off at full speed but remembered about Ophis who was still standing in place only staring at him.

"A-ah, Ophis-chan I need to get home now or okaa-san will get angry at me! I'll talk to you tomorrow!"

Not waiting for a reply he ran off at full speed to get back home.

=={Hyoudou Residence}==

=={Ise's side}==

The second he got home he took of his shoes very quietly announcing he was home.

'_I'm already late… need to sneak in my room and pretend I've been there so kaa-san won't get angry'_

He looked around and took treaded lightly, making sure to absolutely be quiet. Children were capable of amazing things when faced with the threat of scolding and being grounded. Some were even able to showcase excellent stealth skills that would put ninjas to shame.

'_Okay…. Made it… now I just need to get in and pretend I was here from the start!'_

He got in his room and closed the door gently. He flipped the switch on the wall to open the lights and looked around his room to see what he could do. As his gaze went towards his bed, what he saw made him jump back.

"Ise, your room has gotten small" Was what the black haired girl said to him. She was on top of his bed is sitting in seiza. She was now wearing black pyjamas instead of the dress he saw her in earlier.

"W-Wha- How?!" The boy couldn't even begin to comprehend how it was possible.

"I followed Ise"

"B-but I didn't see you! D-did you use magic or something?!"

"Yes"

He was silenced by the curt reply from the black haired girl.

'_W-wait, now that I think about it, she made an apron appear like magic! Does she have super powers?!'_

Realizing the girl in front of him may indeed have superpowers, the gears in his head went to overdrive.

'_Maybe she knows how I can learn to transform! If I learn to transform I'll be able to become a hero! No wait… could she… could she teach me how to transform into a dragon?! B-but I told Iri-kun we would become heroes… WAIT! I CAN BECOME A DRAGON HERO!' _

After processing his thoughts, Ise's body immediately relaxed and calmed down. He then bowed down so fast that his head had hit the floor.

"PLEASE HELP ME BECOME A DRAGON HERO! PLEASE!" He ignored the pain in his forehead and begged with all his might.

"Okay"

"I know you don't want to bu—Eh?" As he was starting to continue begging until she agreed, Ophis had already given her agreement. He was a bit taken back from her reply.

"D-did you say okay?" He asked just to make sure he had not misheard.

"Yes, I will help Ise"

"R-really?! YEAAHH! I 'LL BECOME A HERO! A DRAGON HERO!"

Getting his confirmation, Ise had jumped and skipped around in his room. He did several poses from his favourite tokusatsu shows that he and Irina often copied.

_'YES! I can't believe it! I'll really become a hero! I can't wait to tell Iri-kun!'_

As he was celebrating, the door to his room had suddenly opened and his mom suddenly entered.

"Ise! Why are you making so much noise? I didn't even know you were already back, I was starting to get worried about you! You should properly announce that you're home when you enter! You -"

His mother had suddenly stopped her scolding as she noticed a black haired girl sitting in Ise's bed. Ise didn't know what to do; he had no idea how to explain about Ophis.

"W-who might you be? Young lady, I think you should be home or your parents wou—"

"My name is Ophis. I am Ise's friend. I will be staying here now." Ophis had looked into his mother's eyes as she said those words. Their gazes were locked for a few moments until his mother blinked a few times and smiled.

"Ah then Ophis-chan have fun with your stay here. I'll go make dinner and you can eat with us later when papa gets home."

"Understood. I am grateful."

After hearing Ophis' reply, his mother had left his room, gently closing his door. His jaw was droppepd as he saw his mother quietly leave his room. His mother wasn't someone who just agreed like that, no, she would usually ask a lot of questions before she was satisfied and would even call Ophis' parents to tell them of her stay. He couldn't believe she would just accept things and leave without question.

"Ophis-chan! What was that? Was that part of your superpowers?" He turned to the black haired girl on his bed. He felt that she did something to make her mother agree so easily.

"Yes… It is essential that I stay"

He didn't think she would say more or explain her powers so he opted to ask something he was wondering about.

"Hmm… Ophis-chan, won't your parents be worried if you stay here?" It was something he was wondering about. He didn't think her parents would let her stay for long. There was a time when Irina had tried to live in Ise's house but was forced by her parents to go back home.

"I do not have parents"

'_Ophis-chan doesn't have parents? Maybe they're away'_

"Then does do you live with your Oni-san or One-san or your relatives?"

"I do not have siblings or relatives. I do not have a family"

'_She doesn't have a family? That was… sad. I can't imagine what it would be like if tou-san or kaa-san weren't here'_

He closed his eyes for a bit and crossed his arms, thinking of what to do.

_'Un… If Ophis-chan doesn't have a family then…'_

"Okay! Ophis-chan, If you don't have a family then you can just be with us! Tou-san and kaa-san can be your parents too! Then we can always play together and you can help me become a dragon hero!"

He gave her a big grin after finishing his declaration. He put his hands on his waist and puffed his chest out, feeling a great sense of accomplishment and pride from the decision he made.

"Yes… I will… be part of Ise's family"

She was smiling. Her blank expression was now gone replaced with a happy one.

In the future, Ise would later say that the smile she had shown that time was one of the most beautiful and most precious things he had ever seen.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Omake: Halycon days}==

Ravel Phenex was currently arranging Ise's schedule for the following week. She was sitting in one of the chairs in the break room of Ise's house along with the other members of the Occult Research Club.

It was one of those calm days were no one had to worry about a terrorist group attacking, fighting a god or whatever kind of trouble that the Club usually had to face. Of course, a calm day for them meant that somewhere along the line the calmness would be destroyed by someone ensuing utter chaos or it would devolve into some kind of ecchi situation, sometimes both. However right now everything was still calm and she would enjoy it while it lasts.

'_Okay done!'_ Putting aside the pile of documents she looked around the room and noticed something strange.

'_Ise-sama is reading a book'_

She focused on Ise who was sitting in the rocking chair while reading a book. The fact that Ise was reading a book wasn't what caught her attention but the implications it brought.

'_Ise-sama's lap is unoccupied! Koneko-chan doesn't seem to be her yet…'_

It was a strange sight to see that the white haired nekomata wasn't sitting on her senpai's lap. The hellcat had long ago declared that her senpai's lap was her personal territory and would not allow anyone else to claim it. She had always been jealous of the hellcat for hogging her senpai's lap. She had tried to steal the spot from the hellcat but the farthest she got was sharing the lap, which was uncomfortable for the two of them and Ise.

'_But right now Koneko-chan isn't here… This is my chance! I can finally sit on senpai's lap by myself! Once I claim Ise-sama's lap not even that hellcat would be able to make me go away!'_

It was decided by Rias after several arguments that during times of Toujou Koneko's absence, Ise's lap would be open to anyone and that it was first come first serve. Once someone was able to claim Ise's lap, that person would have the right to sit on it for as long as she wants and no one else, even Koneko, would have the right to make said person move. The person who had claimed the lap was of course free to switch with anyone but that particular rule was mostly ignored.

'_Alright, calm down Ravel Phenex. No one seems to have noticed that Ise-sama's lap is currently unoccupied. You must approach this properly. If you rush yourself, the others may take notice and a race for his lap would ensue. The best outcome is always to achieve victory without engaging in a battle.'_

Composing herself she picked up one of the documents she was formerly holding. While pretending to read it she surveyed her surroundings.

'_Position wise I am currently farthest from Ise-sama's location. However Xenovia-san, Irina-san and Asia-san seemed to be deep in discussion about church traditions. Rias-sama, Akeno-senpai and Rossweisse-sensei on the other hand seem to be busy discussing devil related matters. Kiba-senpai and Gasper-kun are currently out to buying some drinks. Finally, Koneko-chan is nowhere in sight.'_

Confirming the status of each of her potential enemies, she proceeded to formulate a plan of action. She was at a disadvantage due to her distance but if she took the initiative she would be able to make up for it.

'_I need to approach Ise-sama without drawing any attention. I can use these documents as a probable cause for my approach; no one will doubt it since I am Ise-sama's manager. ' _

Deciding on her course of action, she gathered the documents around her and stood up. She approached Ise, walking in a normal pace making sure that she looked natural. As she was getting halfway there something distracts her.

"Ise-kun! We need your opinion on something!" The reincarnated (self-proclaimed) angel Irina Shidou had called on Ise's attention.

'_No! At this rate everyone will notice that Ise-sama's lap is unoccupied! I need to hurry!'_

However when she brought her sights back to Ise, what she saw shocked her.

'_No no no! Since when?! I only shifted my attention for a second!'_

"Yakitori-hime" Koneko called her while giving her a knowing look. In the split second she was distracted, the hellcat had somehow appeared and claimed Ise's lap.

"… I will not allow my territory to be claimed by someone else. Ise-senpai's lap is mine" Koneko declared while staring at her.

"Guhhh…! I was naïve! I should have taken initiative earlier!"

Realizing her mistake and accepting her lost she collapsed on the ground much to everyone's surprise.

"E-eh, Ravel-chan are you okay?" Her senpai asked her in a worried voice. He didn't seem to notice what had just occurred.

"I'm fine senpai…"

'_Yes… It's okay. Even if I can't claim Ise-sama's lap I still have his head pats! Gguuhhh…. But I really want to sit on his lap…'_


	3. Chapter 2: His Excitement

Greetings once again! I apologize for the slightly late chapter... I was supposed to upload this on Wednesday but my sister's laptop had problems. Something about a Window's update crashing the laptop causing a reboot loop. It's partially fixed now though but my sis is restricting laptop usage... T_T

It also seems that the number of Favs and follows this story has has reached a surprising amount! Thank you for your support! Thank you to the those who review as well!

For those who want to know my update schedule: I will release One chapter per week. If I'm particularly busy, I'll update in within 2 weeks.

Answers to some of the reviews:

The Fairy King - Well it should end at about 20+ chapters, though that's just an estimate.  
*A ninja comes and edits the mistake*  
Thanks for pointing that one out, I'll answer your questions on the next chapter :D

Oni X-Wolf - Thank you, I hope to be able to meet with your expectations :)

vienx.001 - thank you for reading, I myself and a fan of "rare" pairings. Like NegixMana(Negima) and MinatoxMiya as well.

Karlos1234ify - I;m still undecided whether Ise will undergo devil reincarnation. His perversion will be toned down slightly, but as you can see in this chapter and the former one, he's getting influenced by both his dreams and Ophis

rifan syah51 - Mature Ophis? I've never really thought of including that in the story though it seems to have a lot of comedic value... Well I'll think about it, so for now please enjoy the omake that was inspired by your review XD

SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan - That's actually what inspired that particular omake, a friend sent me a shark version of that meme and hence that omake was born.

With Regards to this chapter:

- A new segment in the story, a dream sequence is introduced. Similar to the nostalgia sequence it will appear every now and then and is related to the actual story. Note that this segment is not exclusive to Ise. Other character may have a dream or nostalgia segment of their own.

- For those who want some taste of action, well you'll find some in this chapter. This is the first battle scene I've ever written so please tell me your thoughts about it. Another thing i feel quite unsure about is the use of sound effects... it feels awkward for some reason.

- If you feel that the story may seem to progress slowly... well things are going to start picking up next chapter, so wait a bit more. Another thing is that my word count seems to be increasing slowly... Haha, I've always wanted to write a chapter as long as Gabriel blessing's or Marcus Galen Sands'.

- Finally, this particular chapter may have some typos in them, I only had time to recover the file from the laptop and I don't have any additional time to edit this so please bear with this chapter. I had proofread this once but I may have missed some errors.

Disclaimer: I do not own High School DxD or any of its vibrant characters

Now, shall we start?

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

_The dimensional gap was enveloped in a blinding light. _

_Two massive balls of energy clashed._

_*BOOOM*_

_The clash had caused a massive shockwave and a small quake. An explosion of dust from the ground had obscured the battlefield. _

_*BOOM*_

_*CRACKLE CRACKLE*_

_Within moments another explosion could be heard accompanied by the sound of what seemed to be the sound of crackling electricity. The resulting shockwave blew away the dust obscuring the battlefield revealing two beings that had clashed fists. One was clad in red armour, the other clad in white. Both armours gave off the impression of a dragon. Their right fists seemed to have been locked in a stalemate with neither side yielding to the other's power._

_The sheer intensity of the clash and the surge of power that could be felt from them would render lesser beings unconscious. However despite the clear intent of both beings to defeat the other, no malice or hate could be felt from either. _

_[BOOST!]_

_The two seemed equal but soon the one in red seemed to have suddenly doubled his power and was able to push back the one in white. Capitalizing on the opportunity, the one in red uses the boosters in his back and immediately charges in to deliver a left straight to the white one. _

_Slightly off balance and caught in mid-air the one in white sent a surge of power to the wings of light on his back to push his body to his right allowing him to barely avoid the punch. As he dodges the punch he raises his left hand right to the red one's face and creates an explosion of demonic energy point blank. The explosion causes the red one to recoil however instead of falling to the ground he immediately regains his balance and delivers a powerful right punch directly to the white one's face. The white one grabs on to the red one's left arm and a sound could be heard._

_[DIVIDE!]_

_The red one's power had suddenly plunged while the white one seemed to have suddenly grown more powerful. The white one pulls the red one's left arm downwards and sends a punch to the red one with his right. Somewhat weakened by the sudden division of his power the red one opts to intercept the strike with his left shoulder and braced himself for impact, however he had underestimated the strength of the strike and was blown back. The red one plants his feet to the ground and skids to a stop a several meters away from the white one who had jumped backwards to create more distance between them, cracks could be found in their armours and both their helmets had been destroyed revealing small parts of their faces. _

_The exchange had occurred was fast and had only truly lasted for a few seconds. Ordinary beings would see nothing but blurs and only be able to feel the aftereffects of the blows. The spectators of the battle however were far from ordinary. In fact they were not only extraordinary but widely considered to be the strongest existences in the world._

_Both sides stood staring at each other studying one another. The cracks in their armours had already healed and no visible injuries could be seen on either side. Such a thing was normal since neither were actually truly serious with their attacks. The exchange they had was nothing more than a greeting between rivals._

_The white one reveals a grin seemingly enjoying the moment. The red one gives a small smile apparently less enthusiastic but just as determined._

_They both took a battle stance. _

_After a few more moments, the silence was broken. _

_The surroundings suddenly intensified even more with the words that both parties had uttered._

""_**I, who am about to awaken…""**_

*RING RING RING *

Ise Hyoudou's dream was suddenly cut off by an incessant ringing of the alarm clock on the table right beside his bed. He gave a groan as he reached out and hit it to stop the ringing.

He raised his body up into a sitting position and tried to rub off the sleep from his eyes.

'_Mou… and it was just getting good. That was first dream I had were I can actually hear something… the only time I hear anything is when Ophis-chan talks in my dream'_

He had always had those strange dreams. They were like a silent film where every character had blurred faces. The dreams would sometimes be about doing work or chores, having fun with other people, or doing some kind of training. There were also a lot of dreams about battles.

'_The white one was pretty cool but the red one was better… Their armour looked awesome…' _

Deciding to start preparing to go to school he happened to look at the wall and saw the date and he let out another groan. It was Sunday and he woke up this early.

'_I must have set my alarm clock out of habit… Wait, maybe it's not too late! Maybe I can continue the dream if I go back to sleep! I wanna see who wins!' _

Immediately laying his head back down in the pillow, he closed his eyes and attempted to sleep. It was at that moment that he felt arms envelop his body pulling him into an embrace. Confused, he opened his eyes to find a black haired girl in black pyjamas clinging to him. The girl had a satisfied smile on her face.

"Ehhhh?!" Taken by surprise he immediately backed away and fell off from the bed, hitting the table, causing the alarm clock to fall on his face.

"Owww…." He rubbed his nose and got up. Placing the alarm clock on the table he looked back to the black haired girl on his bed remembering the events that transpired yesterday.

'_Right… Yesterday, I met Ophis-chan in the park while on my way home and she promised that she'll help me become a dragon hero…'_

He reached out and touched Ophis' cheek, feeling her soft skin. Before he realized it, he was laying down beside her while already stroking her head gently.

'_Hmmm… I wonder how Ophis-chan will help me become a dragon hero?'_

"Nnn… Ise…?" While was lost in thought, Ophis had already woken up. Though she seemed to have wanted to say something she was distracted since Ise was stroking her hair.

'_Maybe we'll do training and stuff like the ones in my dream?'_

"….Nnnngggh….Ise…" She called out to Ise with a meek voice trying to resist but clearly enjoying the morning head patting session.

'…_but that seems pretty hard…I wonder if there's another way…'_

"_Ise…" She tried to get his attention but it seems the boy was in too deep. Hence she decided to try something different._

'…_Oppai…? Why did I suddenly think of that? … Ah well-'_

Ise's thoughts were suddenly cut off when he felt a sensation in his lips.

Ophis had just kissed him on the lips.

"Eh….?" Was the only thing he could say. Ophis had already drawn back and looked at him with a small content smile.

"Good morning Ise"

=={Ophis' side}==

_'The day must be started with morning greetings'_

It was one of the lessons she learned with her stay with. She observed that everyone had always greeted one another with a "good morning" regardless of the situation before anything else. She had asked Shidou Irina once why it was necessary.

"Well it's to bless someone's morning! When you say 'good morning' you wish them to have a wonderful day ahead! It's totally necessary that you say it to someone first thing in the morning! If you don't then they'll have a bad day!" Was the reply she got from the energetic self-proclaimed, though very real, angel. Hence, she resisted the unplanned but very much welcome head patting session in the morning to properly greet Ise.

She didn't want Ise to have a bad day just because she didn't properly greet him.

"A-ah… Good morning Ophis-chan…" Ise was broken out of his trance and seemed to have realized what he was doing and stopped much to Ophis' disappointment. If given a choice she would have wanted to continue the session for the next eternity or two but sacrifices must be made for Ise's sake. Ise still seemed a bit surprised with her actions.

'_Un… Head pats… they are very enjoyable… Ravel Phenex was wise to obtain a monopoly of it…' _She closed her eyes in thought.

'_Morning greetings have been performed and we have blessed each other's morning… What comes next is… the morning preparations and subsequent feast…' _

Her observations had shown her a pattern followed by the Hyoudou residence during mornings.

It typically goes: everyone wakes up, usually on Ise's bed or within the vicinity of his room - obligatory morning greetings are exchanged to bless each other's day-a battle to give Ise the first kiss in the morning ensues between the females whilst on top of his bed - morning preparations are performed - eating the morning feast - attending the educational institution for humans or doing early devil work if it's a Sunday.

'_I had already performed the morning kiss for Ise… a battle however cannot be performed due to the absence of the others… and morning preparations will be performed shortly…'_ She reviewed the flow of their morning, making sure that they had done the necessary rituals. Rias Gremory had once told her that it that every part must be done without fail, especially the morning kiss part, or else the morning wouldn't be complete. She looked at the calendar on the wall.

'_The morning is soon to be completed properly… However today seems to be the day of rest where the educational institution is closed… Ise has yet to become a devil so I do not know what will follow…'_

"Ano… Ophis-chan?" Ise called out to her as she was thinking of the things that Ise may be doing today.

"Yes?" She gave an immediate reply and opened her eyes to looked Ise in the eye.

"W-well, ano… why did Ophis-chan"

"A greeting and a kiss is necessary to properly complete the morning" She answered before Ise finished his sentence.

"Eh? But-"

"A greeting and a kiss is necessary to properly complete the morning" She repeated.

"Ah-"

"It is necessary" She stated firmly. Finally understating that he shouldn't question her about it Ise gave up asking why and simply accepted that it would most likely happen every morning. He actually dislike, just confused him a bit.

"Okay… Ah! Are we going to start with my dragon hero training?!" Ise suddenly said, apparently instantly accepting what happened and moving on. A child's adaptability was uncanny.

'_Yes… Ise asked me to help him become a dragon hero'_ She closed her eyes and assumed a thinking pose, her head titled slightly to the right with one finger on her cheek. Ise didn't interrupt and simply waited for a response.

'_I… am not well versed with training…' _She was born with her power and hence had never really needed any form of training. The same could be said for great red. However she needed to do her best since it was one of the rare times that Ise had asked her for something, she would definitely not fail him.

'_Ise trained a lot back then… Since this is Ise as well then it should bring similar results'_ she recalled. The Gremory group was a firm believer in hard work and hence trained as much as they can. She had the opportunity to watch how they went about with their training.

'_However… he must first awaken Draig... only then will training start'_ she finally opened her eyes to see Ise patiently waiting for her response with expectant eyes.

"Sacred Gears" She started, drawing a confused look from Ise.

"Say-ku-re-do Ge-ah?" Ise parotted trying his best to understand.

"It is an artifact created by God that grants special abilities to human beings" She explained.

"… Eh?" Was Ise's only reply. There were a lot of terms in the explanation that he didn't get.

'…_He does not seem to understand… I must… change my way of explanation'_

"Sacred Gears are… items that give humans… super powers… It is a gift given by the God from the bible" She stated, trying her best to give an explanation that was easy to understand.

"S-Super powers?! How do I get a Say-kuredo Ge-ah then?" He asked excitedly.

"Ise has one" She replied tersely.

"Eh?! Really?!" Ise immediately searched himself for anything weird attempting to find a sacred gear in his person.

"Ise" She called his attention and Ise stopped and looked at her, his attention fully focused on her every word.

"Close your eyes" Without a second thought, Ise followed Ophis' instruction.

=={Ise's Side}==

He was excited. He looked calm as he stood straight with his eyes closed on the outside but he was just about ready to explode on the inside.

'_I have some kind of super power! Can I shoot lasers? Energy beams?! Maybe I can even breathe fire!'_

"Imagine a being, a person… the strongest one you can imagine" He heard Ophis said. A lot of things came to mind, heroes from the tokusatsu shows he watched and characters in the anime he watched, but there was one image that kept appearing when he thought of the word "strong".

It was that one person fighting in red armour.

"Imagine that person in a pose where he looks his best" The air felt somewhat heavier and energy was permeating in the room.

He concentrated. He remembered the part where the red one and white one clashed. He imagined how the red one had overpowered the white one. He imagined the red one in his battle stance.

"Now copy that pose and imagine you were that person"

He copied the red one's battle stance. He imagined wearing the red armour. He imagined the power that felt from it. He then copied the words the red one had uttered just before his dream was interrupted.

"I, who am about to awaken…" he muttered to himself.

*FLASH*

A sudden flash came from his left hand and he opened his eyes in shock. The light took form and a red gauntlet had appeared, covering his left arm. A green jewel was embedded on it.

"UOOOHHHH?!" he shouted in surprise and delight. He kept turning his arm to see every part of the gauntlet touching and prodding it with his right hand.

"Ise, that is your sacred gear… It is called the boosted gear" Ophis shos a small smile seeing Ise's antics.

"S-so this is my Say-ku-re-do ge-ah?! What kind of super power does it have?!" He asked with excitement. His heart was beating so fast he felt like it would burst out of his chest.

"It-"

"ISE! COME DOWN HERE, IRI-CHAN IS HERE!"

Before Ophis could start, they were interrupted by a shout from Mrs. Hyoudou. Ise was a bit irritated at the interruption but had remembered something important.

"Iri-kun! I need to tell him about my Say-ku-re-do ge-ah! Iri-kun will definitely be excited!" He shouted with glee and immediately came down to the first floor to greet his best friend leaving Ophis in the room.

"IRI-KUN! YOU NEED TO SEE THIS! I-" Before he could finish however…

"Uuuu….*hic*… Ise-kun….*hic*…I-I'm… my family is going to leave... what do I do?" He was greeted by a crying Irina wearing a dress.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Devil Halcyon Days 2}==

Porn

It was a sacred relic to every hormonal male teenager in existence, no exceptions. These come in many forms; it may be in video form, manga form or novel form. Regardless of its form however it remains as a holy and sacred item that must be cherished and cared for.

Another thing about porn is that one must never allow their collection to be viewed by others, with the exception of their closest friends. Having one's porn viewed by another, especially girls that you may like, is both an extremely embarrassing and mortifying experience.

It was for this reason that Hyoudou Issei had spent that past 4 hours enacting a complex plan that he had been preparing for.

'_Hehehe… I finally got it. Matsuda and Motohama would definitely get jealous if they found out I got a copy of the legendary Oppai Origins book! '_

He was tempted to rip the plastic covering and start reading but he stopped himself. The time needs to be right before it's opened.

'_Okay, I've somehow managed to get out of the house undetected, go to the store unfollowed, buy the book without anyone knowing and was able to return home without any encounters.'_

He was particularly proud of the fact that he was able to accomplish such a thing. Though some may think that leaving the Hyoudou residence to buy a porn book without anyone knowing was easy, especially if your name happened to be Hyoudou Issei, they need to understand one thing.

It wasn't.

It was difficult, very difficult, abhorrently difficult. In fact it was so difficult that you had better chances surviving a fight against the jabberwocky. It was just that difficult.

Doing so required him to carefully study the schedules of each member of the inhabitants of his house, the schedules of the other Occult Research Club members who weren't living in his house, and finally the schedules of anyone who had even the remote chance of engaging in a conversation with him if they were to meet randomly. It took a few months and a lot of work but he succeeded in compiling everyone's schedules and was able to pin point a certain span of time he could take advantage of.

'_Calm down Hyoudou Issei, you're getting close to your goal. You've already gotten this far, just a little more to go and you'll be able to enjoy the treasure!'_

He discreetly looked around his surroundings and tried to sense any presence that may be nearby, though everyone should be currently busy doing their own things, there could be unforeseen circumstances.

He was currently supressing his power and hiding his presence the best he could. He had avoided any form of contact with any remotely sentient being that he knew. He could never be too careful.

'_Alright… No one in sight and I can't feel any presence nearby. From everyone's schedules, the house should be empty right now and I should have a good two house left before anyone gets home.' _

He went his way up his room doing his best to suppress his excitement. He had not been able to enjoy anything from his collection for a while because of the constant presence of others.

As he came up the stairs an unexpected encounter occurred.

"Hiiiiiiiii!"

A blonde haired red-eyed boy, who at every angle looked like a girl, suddenly jumped away and backed himself into the wall after seeing him, dropping the things he was carrying.

"A-ah, Senpai!" The look of fear in his eyes was completely wiped off and was replaced with a look of delight.

'_Gya-suke?! W-Wait, he should in the Grigori Institute right now training! Why is he still here?!' _Ise on the other hand was panicked.

"Gya-suke! I didn't know you were home! I thought you were training in the Grigori Institute!"

He immediately composed himself and managed to give a natural greeting.

'_Calm yourself! You expected something like this might happen so find a way out of the situation!'_

"Ah well, I wanted to finish up my Devil work before going to the institute and I just finished. What is senpai doing home so early?" The vampire titled his head cutely.

'_Cute! It's a real waste that he's a boy! A-Ah wait, focus Ise, It's a normal question so answer naturally!'_

"W-well I just finished my devil work too so I thought I should just go home and wait for the others" He cleared his throat trying not to stutter due to nervousness. It wasn't exactly a lie since he did finish some work in the morning.

"Eh? Then senpai is free… Ah! I have an Idea! Do you want to come with me to the institute Senpai?" Gasper had put on a hopeful look filled with expectation. The sheer cuteness it invoked was enough to trigger the "I wanna take you home with me!" flag from both girls and boys alike.

Those words sent a shiver down Ise's spine as he was forced to recall the things he had seen and experienced during his visits to the institute. Though some of them were nice, most were just plain bizarre. He had developed a particular aversion to large iron balls and drills since his visits.

"S-sorry, I think I'll just stay home today…" He said that with a bitter smile. He really didn't like letting down his kouhai but he probably won't be getting any time for himself for a long time after this. There was also the fact that he didn't necesarrily want to visit the institute if he can help it.

"O-oh…. Okay, I guess… I'll just go alone then…" His voice was somber and his face was clearly disappointed from Ise's reply. Seeing his kouhai's face like that made him feel guilty.

'_Gguuuhhh… I… Gaah! I need to do something about this!' _Slowly being crushed by guilt, he decided o take action.

"Gasper!" He shouted while firmly gripping the vampire's shoulder. Gasper was slightly startled from Ise's sudden actions.

"I think you've gone really far! You've become a strong and proper man of the Gremory group capable of protecting the others! I believe in you! I know that you'll be able to handle things even without me!"

Though he said such words in order to get out from the situation, he wasn't lying. He truly believed that the anthrophobic hikikimori cross-dressing vampire he had first met had grown leaps and bounds. He had started going out more, started to talk to people more, and had been keeping up with them in training. He worked to improve himself without fail and always to the initiative to learn more. It was a far cry from his former self.

"T-Thank you senpai…" A slight blush had crept up on Gasper's cheeks. He looked down bashfully trying to avoid eye contact.

"Un, you should keep it up! Remember that as men of the Gremory group, we need to be strong and protect the others!"

"Y-yes senpai! I, a man of the Gremory group, shall be become strong to protect the others!" Gasper had already stopped blushing and had assumed a guts pose, his eyes were burning with passion and determination.

"Now go! Train and become stronger! Do your best!" He said with a as much intensity as he can muster.

"O-okay! I'll do my best! I won't let senpai down!" Sufficiently pumped up from Ise's words, Gasper picked up his stuff from the ground immediately went running out of the house. Ise dind;t really pay attention to it at first but he just noticed what he was carrying.

"It was a box and a paper bag… I wonder if he'll be able to stop relying on them someday…"

Gasper had a bad habit of hiding in a box to feel more comfortable or to hide. It was more or less a place where he felt the most secure. The paper bag was more or less the same thing for him, it apparently gave him more courage.

He was a bit worried about what Gasper would be doing in the Grigori Institute, especially considering that the last time they had gone there, missile were equipped on his box…

"Okay focus…" he shook his head, shaking away unnecessary thoughts. Gasper would be okay; the fallen angels in the institute were extremely weird beings but wouldn't do anything bad to him. He just hoped they wouldn't give the poor vampire some mental trauma.

"… Well Gya-suke's gone so that means I can enjoy my treasure now!" He immediately went inside his room and threw the porn book on his bed. He surveyed the outside of his room one last time to make sure that no one was present before going inside and locking the door.

A locked door wouldn't really stop anyone that lived in the house except for his parents but everyone practiced common courtesy and would at least knock at the door first before breaking it down in worry.

"Hehehe… finally, the time has come for me to enjoy the treasured book!" Turning around after locking the door, what he saw floored him.

It was Ophis casually reading the porn book with great interest.

"I completely forgot about heeeeerrr!" he shouted to the heavens cursing his negligence. He had taken into account every single human, devil, angel, and youkai that might interfere with his plans for the day but he had completely forgotten about the black haired dragon god that stuck to him like a ghost possessing a human being.

"O-Ophis-chan… Y-you shouldn't read that you know…" he breathed in and out trying his best to calm himself and started to talk to Ophis.

'_I can do this… I still have a chance… I WILL FIND A WAY!'_

"Ise… Does Ise like this?" She asked him with her head slightly tilted to the side. She was pointing to a girl that was wearing nothing but a large shirt pushing her breast up with her arms, emphasizing them, and looking at the male character seductively.

"E-Eh? A-ah well… Y-yes?" He honestly didn't know how to reply to the honest inquiry. He wasn't exactly secretive with his perverted nature. It was more correct to say that he blatantly showed it to everyone without regard for his reputation. He was, after all, called the Oppai dragon who powers up by poking breasts.

"Un…" Ophis simply nodded and closed her eyes.

"Ah well… then I'll just take this, okay Ophis-chan?" He approached the dragon god trying to get the porn book from her. He took the book from Ophis' hand and looked at it briefly. A slight surge of power however had startled him and he looked back at Ophis.

The loli dragon god who was usually clad in black gothic Lolita clothing was nowhere to be seen.

"…Eh?" He could feel blood dripping from his nose as he studied the form Ophis had taken.

She had the same black hair and pointy ears but had grown taller. Ophis' height was about one inch less from his own. She still had her usual blank gaze and expressionless face.

She was also wearing nothing but a large black shirt. It was big enough to cover down to her thighs making it unknown whether she was still wearing panties or not. Most of the buttons were undone save for the two near the bottom. The shirt just barely covered her now larger breast. The size was by no means comparable to the likes of Rias and Akeno, it may even be smaller than Asia's, but the size fit well with her body profile. He figure was balance and well proportioned.

It was also clear that she was not wearing a bra.

"O-Ophis-ch… Ophis?!" he somehow felt wrong addressing Ophis with the –chan suffix with her current form.

"Hmm… I had, emulated the form, does Ise like it?" Ophis remained expressionless as she spoke but Ise could somehow detect the expectation she had in her eyes.

"Yes! Ophis looks wonderful! Thank you for showing me this!" He replied immediately crying at the site of a cute girl in wearing nothing but a shirt in front of him. She went back to the position of wrapping her arms around the bottom of her breast, pushing it up to emphasize it.

"Un… then Ise… poke" Ophis took the situation to its logical conclusion and opened the shirt she was wearing further, fully exposing her breast to Ise.

"P-poke?! Really?! Should I do it?!" More blood had ran down Ise's nose from Ophis' words. Though he honestly wanted to do it, he felt slightly hesitant.

"Yes" Ophis replied simply, not breaking eye contact with him.

"Uhhh… A-alright…" He finally agreed, unable to take the stare she was giving him.

He slowly approached the now older Ophis stopping at arm's reach. He nervously brought up his hands and assumed his "breast poking stance" as Azazel had dubbed it.

He allowed his fingers to align with Ophis' exposed nipples and slowly pressed them. Feeling the softness and elasticity of Ophis' modest breast.

"Iyaaannn~~" Ophis let out in complete and absolute monotone.

*CLICK* *FLASH*

He suddenly heard the sound of a camera near him.

'_Damn it! I was too distracted with Ophis to notice anyone approaching! Who is it?!'_

He turned his head to the side to see who had taken a picture of them. He paled from realizing who it was.

'_Noooooo! Why?! Why did it have to be Azazel senseeeeiiii?!'_

"Hehe… I've got to hand it to you Ise… To think that this is what you do with the dragon god-sama when you're alone…" Azazel had a large shit-eating grin plastered on his face while checking the digital camera he was holding.

"Give me thaaaat!" Ise immediately reached in and tried to grab the camera from Azazel but the former governor was too fast and had easily evaded him.

"Ah ah ah Ise-kun~~" Azazel said playfully while wagging his finger. He was currently perched on the window while holding the digital camera with his other hand. He opened the window to ensure a quick and clean escape.

"Ise, you really are a sinful man. Fufufu, to think that you would be doing these kinds of this with Ophis while nobody is looking… So… How far had you gone? Have the two of you shared a passionate kiss? Do you make Ophis cosplay while you grope her breast? Wait… don't tell me the two of you had already had sex?! …Doesn't that mean the Rias isn't your first?! Hahaha! Is you sly dog!"

"NO! WE HAVEN'T DONE ANY OF THAT! GIVE ME THAT CAMERAAAAA!" Ise retorted strongly, realizing where this could possibly lead. He charged again at Azazel but the fallen angel simply went out the window and flew in the sky.

"Heh, sorry Ise but this part of my collection now! With the picture I took now and the other pictures of you and Ophis I've secretly taken before I will make an album. I will call it 'The secret affair of the Oppai Dragon'!" He shouted, clearly enjoying the situation.

"YOU HAVE OTHER PICTUUURREESSS?!" Azazel's last statement had done it, he was now going to destroy that camera no matter what it took.

[BALANCE BREAKER!]

A sound was heard and red armour had appeared on Ise's body. He deployed the boosters on his back and his wings.

"O-oi Ise, calm down! I was just teasing you!" Azazel retreated slightly from Ise who had donned his scale mail.

[CHANGE SONIC BOOSTER!]

"Welsh Sonic Boost Knight!" Ise shouted, causing his armour to change.

"Armour release!" Another shout causing various pieces of his armour to shed leaving only the bare minimum.

"W-wait! ISE!" Azazel had hidden the camera on his clothes and had prepared himself for what was to come. The Ise's Dragon Star Knight form was usually followed by-

[CHANGE SOLID IMPACT!]

Without warning Ise appears behind Azazel quickly changing his form to his Welsh Dragonic Rook and sending a haymaker towards Azazel. Azazel immediately creates a shield of light to block Ise's sudden attack but it immediately shatters from the force of the blow and launches Azazel across the sky.

"GIVE ME THAT CAMERA!" Ise shouted as he prepared for his next attack.

'_This is Azazel sensei I'm fighting. If I want a chance to destroy the camera, I need to go all out!'_

"_**I, who am about to awaken"**_

"DAMNIT ISE! I'M NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU THE CAMERA! IF THIS IS HOW YOU WANT IT THEN LET'S GO!" Azazel deploys all of his twelve jet-black wings and creates several spears of light.

An epic clash between the former governor of the fallen angels and the oppai dragon commenced.

Both were later punished due to the disturbance they caused. Rias had given Ise 2000 spanks while Azazel was whipped 1000 times by Akeno. Neither of them had revealed the true cause of the fight and had passed it off as some form of training.

Ophis on the other hand was left in the room to read the rest of Ise's porn book attempting to further her knowledge and experience. She kept herform for a few days more, causing more mayhem for Ise.


	4. Chapter 3: Her worries

Wew... Hello my dear readers... I have somehow managed to release this chapter before the week ended.

To be honest I had barely made it. I had all my exams this past week so the laptop had been on lockdown till today. I was thankfully able to pass all my subjects this term. Though what's worse is that my sister, due to work related stuff, would need to use this laptop for her work for the next few days so I wouldn't be able to write, hence i had no other choice.

So as a solution, I got her to let me hog the laptop for today. Hence the moment I woke up, I took a shower, ate my breakfast and started to work on this chapter. Like a mangaka being pestered to meet his deadline I had somehow been able to type out this chapter that for some reason had this length... Hahaha... My back, neck and arms hurt from this...

Well anyway, some replies...:

- The fairy king: I really need to thank you for the correction last time. That was rather embarrassing but thankfully I was able to order my ninja to correct it. With regards to your question Ise will not necessarily be stronger. It would be more appropriate to say that he would be more... competent and experienced. Level of competence of other characters will also be adjusted accordingly. As for how long I expect this to go for... Hmmm it could easily go to 20 chapter or more but I'm not entirely sure. I'll probably add some more stuff

- rifansyah51: Ahaha well I'm again thankful for that. The omake for this was actually shorter before but your comment was the reason why the lenght had suddenly doubled... It may not be how you imagined it but please enjoy

- Karlos1234ify: As I've said to fairy king It would be more appropriate to say that he would be more... competent and experienced. Level of competence of other characters will also be adjusted accordingly.

- SSJ3 Kyuubi Gohan: There's an omake for that... :D

Regarding this chapter:

- This chapter is unexpectedly longer that i thought it would be. rifansyah51 had given me a bout of inspiration while writing the omake, making it significantly longer that it should be...  
- This chapter focuses on Irina and establishing the foundations of her relationship with Ise and Ophis. I needed to do this for my plans for her in the future.  
- I'm thankful I've finally finished Irina's prologue story. It was rather difficult to write and now I can move on to the ensuing conflict.  
- Finally, similar to the last chapter, due to certain circumstances with the laptop I had not even been able to fully proofread(... looks back double checks the spelling) this chapter. Considering it's length then there are definitely some mistakes in here.

Well that's all I have to say for now, thank you once again for the readers, lurkers and reviewers of this fic. It had somehow garnered 99 follows... Hahaha that definitely makes happy :D

Disclaimer: I may utterly enjoy this but i do not profit from it in anyway.

Ready... Set... Start!

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Nostalgia}==

It was noon on a certain Saturday.

Ophis was currently roaming around the shopping mall that was often visited by the group. The ceiling of the mall was an open atrium and various stores catering to every possible need a customer may have could be seen.

She was wearing a black sailor uniform with a light blue ribbon, black knee length socks and a pink cardigan; she was also carrying a small black backpack. That particular set of clothes was something she had gotten accustomed to wearing since she was told that her usual dress was inappropriate to wear in public.

Though usually she would be either within in the proximity of a certain Hyoudou Issei or at the very least accompanied by someone from the group, she was currently alone. It had taken some time but Rias had finally decided that she should be allowed to do as she pleased for as long as she didn't leave the territory and went home before sun down. She of course was not allowed to use her powers unless she was put into a situation that it was absolutely necessary.

So yeah, unless an evil dragon comes to wreak havoc or a horribly depraved pedophile kidnaps her, she wasn't allowed to use her powers at all. On the other hand, she had a red bat, Rias' familiar, hanging from her backpack that would alert Rias if anything where to happen.

'_I have gone here several times with the others… However it seems that this structure was larger than it seems'_

She was currently looking around, searching for a particular item. She had recently developed an interest in video games and Rias had granted her some funds to buy something on her own, giving her strict instructions on how to handle the money.

The exact amount of money will be left unsaid. The only words that may be used to describe the amount would be "a shit-ton of money" and it will be left at that. The crimson ruin princess greatly needed to be educated in terms of how much normal people spent. Pocket change for example most definitely did not reach 6 to 7 digits.

'_It is…. difficult to find one's way… Gremory Rias had told me to ask directions if I could not find my way'_

She looked around the area trying to find a person in uniform. She was told to only talk people like this in order to avoid trouble. She approached the guard and tugged on his shirt.

"Hmmm… Yes little girl, what is it?" The guard asked nicely with a warm smile.

"Directions" She replied tersely while bringing out a map from inside her bag. The map already had a mark on it and some instructions to read to make it easier for Ophis since she wasn't someone who spoke too much.

"Ah, well you simple need to go in that direction, past the food court and you'll find this store. By the way, where are your parents little girl?" After pointing out the directions, the guard had decided to ask the obvious question. Despite being older than most beings, Ophis did currently have the appearance of a child.

"Mama and Papa are busy but they gave me permission to buy things on my own since this place is close to our home" Was the predetermined response she gave. Rias and the others had already had her memorize several predetermined responses that she would give when prompted to answer certain questions.

The guard was a bit disturbed by the monotone voice and blank gaze the girl in front of him had but accepted the reply. He asked some follow up questions to be sure.

"Just to be sure, where does your family live?" A standard question.

"A big house" A simple response.

"And what do your parents do?" The guard asked, not deterred by the response. He was used to dealing with children.

"Mama is a King and Papa is an Oppai Dragon" She replied. It wasn't one of the questions she had a predetermined response to so she replied with that. The guard however was somewhat confused from the reply.

"T-Then they must busy huh?" The guard asked with a troubled face.

"Yes, they deal with terrorists and evil dragons a lot" Another honest statement.

"A-ah, then what about siblings or relatives? Do you have some?" The guard tried thinking that Ophis was simply an imaginative child.

"Yes. A sister with normal sized breasts and long blonde hair, a sister who has an idiotic look that has brute strength, a sister who is a self-proclaimed angel, a sister that looks like a bird, a sister that looks like a cat, a big sister who is poor and has silver hair, a brother who is handsome and another brother who cross-dresses" She replied, using the same words she had once used during her first time visiting the mall with everyone. She felt that it was an appropriate description.

"A-alright, then carry on…" The guard was just baffled with the weird reply she gave and decided that it wasn't something he wanted to delve on so he allowed her to go.

With a nod and a thank you, Ophis went on her way to her destination. As she was on her way however she had went through the food court and various things caught her attention.

Said things were cakes, doughnuts and sweets of every variety. The food court had a section dedicated to desserts and sweet snacks. If the dragon god was more expressive then she would probably drooling right now with sparkling eyes, outwardly expressing her wonder and amazement over the sheer amount and variety of sweets and confection she could see, however Ophis was by no means expressive in any sense of the word so she still had a blank face and emotionless eyes.

''I… was not aware of this place…I, have much to learn…" She muttered scolding herself in her lack of knowledge. Sweets were something she favoured eating and her ignorance of the existence of such a place made her feel ignorant.

"Such a place… I have yet to set foot in heaven so I am not aware of its appearance… however this must be the place"

This was heaven no matter how she saw it. There was a lack of angels and far too many human beings but she was already fully convinced.

Thankfully, most of the shops were high end and accepted credit and debit card payments so Ophis was free to try nearly anything she would see. It was also fortunate that Rias had given a substantial amount of money for her to spend.

And so, armed with a card full of money, a sweet tooth and a stomach with a black hole inside, the dragon god went on a food trip. She would eat every type and flavour of whatever she could get and eat them quickly. Be it cakes, doughnuts, and candy, nothing could escape the dragon god.

'_Human beings are truly excellent… to be able to make such wondrous things… I must have more of it…'_

Dragons had always been known for their greed and when they had found anything that they considered a treasure, they would keep it in their own territories.

In this case, the dragon was Ophis, the treasure was sweets and the territory where it was stored and kept in was her stomach. Greed had never been so good or sweet before.

She quickly drew the attention of pretty much everyone in the vicinity. Shopkeepers were baffled on seeing a small young girl consume so much food but were in anticipation of her visit to their shop. Bystanders were entertained to see a cute girl whose face was riddled in crumbs and icing running around from shop to shop. They even allowed her to cut in line and gave her a seat when she needed.

Before everyone knew it, it had become some kind of event.

Ophis was sitting on one of the chairs with a large amount of sweets of every variety on the table in front. There was a crowd surrounding her; shopkeepers, waiters, waitresses and attendants were cheering her on as she consumed the sweets faster than Ise could enter balance breaker.

"Go little girl!"

"W-where does it all go?"

"..Too think such a small girl can eat so much"

"Haha, keep eating girl! We have more where that came from!"

"Such great business!"

Were the shouts that could be heard from the crowd. Ophis had not really paid attention and simply concentrated on the task before her.

After that day a legend was born. A legend about a small black haired girl with an emotionless face who brought great business to every shop that sold sweets. From then on, it had become customary for every shop, no matter what goods they had sold, to at least have one type of confection available. Doing so was said to bring about prosperity.

Eventually Ophis had eaten her fill and finished eating, getting a round of applause from the crowd.

'_I, am not sure why they seem to approve of my actions… It must mean that I have done something worthy of praise' _She thought to herself as she received head pats, words of gratitude and amazement, and offers from shopkeepers to come to their shop again.

Amongst the crowd, a familiar voice had called her.

"Ophis-chan?" A girl with chestnut coloured hair had approached her. Despite it being a weekend, she seemed to be wearing the standard female uniform worn by those who attended Kuoh Academy.

"Shidou Irina" Ophis called her name. Shidou Irina was a self-proclaimed reincarnated angel and childhood friend of Ise.

"I am not self-proclaimed!" Irina retorted instinctively, feeling that someone had accused her of being a self-proclaimed existence. Though at first she had taken such accusations in stride, she had slowly gotten irritated of those words mostly due to a blue haired swordsman.

"A-ahaha… sorry about that Ophis-chan. I felt like someone called me self-proclaimed again" She gave a bright smile to Ophis resuming her bubbly and optimistic attitude.

"Ne, was Ophis-chan the one the crowd was cheering for?" She asked curiously. She had just finished some work in school and had decided to take a small shopping trip before going home. Noticing Ophis' face she took out her handkerchief and started wiping it.

Every member of the Gremory liked to dote on the dragon god. No exceptions.

"Un… It seems I received support in eating sweets" Ophis replied staying still, allowing Irina to wipe her face.

"Did Ophis-chan come here to buy something? If so let's shop together!" Irina put away the handkerchief after she ensured that Ophis' face was clean.

'_Ah… Yes I had come here to buy something' _Realizing that she was severely side-tracked Ophis remembered that she actually did have something to do.

"I had come here to purchase a game" She stated her purpose. Originally the plan was for her to go to the mall and quickly buy the game she wanted to play then immediately going home however she had unknowingly found herself in heaven and was distracted.

"Eh? A game? Ophis-chan likes games after all… fufufufu" Irina gave a small laugh, Ophis' curiosity was piqued by her behaviour and she waited for the follow up.

"Ophis-chan! I know of a certain game that Ise-kun really likes to play!" Irina declared, puffing her chest out proudly as if the fact that she knew was admirable in and of itself.

"A game…. That Ise likes to play?" She was officially interested. Though Ise played games with her every now and then, she had noticed that Ise didn't have as much drive in playing video games compared to poking breasts.

"Un! I'll show you where to buy it! I'll even tell you all the important things to do while playing the game! Asia-chan, Xenovia and I played it together with Ise once!" Irina smiled remembering that event. Though her wings had flickered from white to black during those times, it was still a fun and precious memory.

"Important things?" Ophis questioned, intrigued by the fact that there were other necessary preparations for playing a game, she never had encountered such things before and the fact that she would be able to do it with Ise made it more appealing.

"Un … The first thing is that wearing clothes are forbidden when playing and…" Irina continued, giving Ophis a full lesson on what preparations are necessary when playing the game they were going to buy. Ophis listened intently; absorbing every piece of information she was given.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Ise's Room}==

That was a memory she had of Shidou Irina. Shidou Irina was always optimistic and vibrant however right now there were tears on her face. It was obvious to her that these were tears that were shed due to pain and sadness.

'_Shidou Irina is… crying…'_ She thought while closing her eyes.

It was a rare sight to see one of the most energetic and optimistic girl of the group to actually be crying. The reincarnated angel in her memories had always been the one who smiled and laughed the most. She felt that tears didn't suit her at all.

'_She was… bright, vibrant… always smiling'_

Shidou Irina wasn't the only one like that, the others were also vibrant but in comparison, being bright, lively, optimistic and vibrant wasn't just a characteristic for Irina, it practically defined her. No matter how grim the situation, Shidou Irina would always brighten up everyone's mood and lessen the weight of their burdens.

'_The Gremory group are composed of beings with a strong will like Ise' _she thought to herself. Not only Irina but everyone else was capable of smiling in the worst of times.

She recalled all the times she had seen them face adversity. They never gave up no matter how dire the situation had gotten. They would continue to fight and to overcome any challenges that were presented to them. It didn't matter if they faced humas, devils, angels, monsters or gods, nothing could stop the might of the Gremory group.

'_Furthermore they always cared for one another; they would fight desperately for each other's sake. They would not allow one of their own to experience enough pain or grief to warrant tears. The only time that everyone had shed such tears was when Ise…'_

She immediately cut off her process of thought, not wanting to remember such times. That particular moment was very painful for her and everyone else and it was best buried in the deepest parts of her mind.

'_Ise is here… There is no need for such unnecessary thoughts…'_ She reminded herself once again. It wouldn't do well for her or anyone else to dwell in the past. She needed to focus on the present.

She opened her eyes and focused on the two who were currently talking to each other.

The three of them were inside Ise's room. Ise, seeing his best friend in tears had immediately grabbed Irina's hand and dragged her up the stairs. The red gauntlet that manifested in his hands earlier had already disappeared.

She, on the other hand, was sitting on the bed wearing her black pyjamas, though only the shirt as she had decided to forego wearing the pants. She felt that wearing it was unnecessary and she was quite sure that Ise would have preferred this state of dress. State of dress meaning her chest was covered just enough to be decent while her black panties were in clear view to anyone who looked.

She was silently observing the situation. Trying to understand the reason for Shidou Irina's tears.

"Iri-kun? Why are you crying?" Ise asked worry clear on his face. He had made Irina sit down and he patted her head to calm her down. He didn't know whether that would help his friend but something told him that it would.

"*sniff* Papa called us yesterday… he said that… *hic* that we'll move away from here!" She said while rubbing the tears from her face. She was trembling slightly and her red eyes showed that she had been crying for a while.

'_Move away… It means… changing their place of residency to a different location' _Ophis clarified the meaning of Irina's words to herself. Though she's had a lot of time to learn about language, there were some commonly used expressions and phrases that escaped her; idioms were particularly difficult for her since she tended to take things literally. In the past, when she was told that she they were going to talk about the "birds and the bees", she honestly thought it would be about flying animals and insects. She wasn't expecting it to be about human mating processes.

"Uhuuu... I don't… I don't wanna move away! *sniff* I don't wanna be separated from Ise-kun!" Irina continued, almost shouting. She was shaking slightly and more tears were running down her face.

"E-Eh?! Iri-kun is going away?! I-I don't want that!" Ise replied, horrified at the prospect of his close friend disappearing. Despite his feelings however he honestly didn't know what to do about the situation. He tried to think of ways but he came up with nothing however he didn't like seeing his friend cry so he decided to simply try and make his friend smile for now.

"A-Ah! Iri-kun, this is Ophis-chan! She's going to help me become a dragon hero!" Ise pointed to Ophis who was on top of his bed in an attempt to distract Irina.

"E-eh? D-dragon hero? Ophis-chan?" Irina spoke in wonder looking towards the direction Ise was pointing at. She didn't notice it but there was a black haired girl on top of Ise's bed. Ophis simply looked at her remembering a few details.

'_Yes… To this world's Shidou Irina this would be our first meeting… '_She knew in herself that this Irina was different from the one she often played with. Technically, the Ise she was with now was the same, but unlike Ise this version of Irina did not have memories of her and knowing that made her somewhat sad.

'_I… must simply create a new bond with Shidou Irina and create new memories' _She assured herself remembering one of the many lessons she had learned during her time with the others. If the memories did not exist, they simply had to replace them with new and better ones.

"I am named Ophis… It is a pleasure to meet you" Ophis introduced herself whilst using her powers to change her clothes into a black sailor uniform with a light blue ribbon and black knee length stockings. She was of course not wearing any shoes.

"EHHHHH?! T-Transform! I-Ise-kun she transformed!" Irina shouted in shock at seeing something that she had only found in their favourite tokusatsu shows. Much like Ise, Irina thought that the ability to use one's powers to transform was the proof of being a hero.

Sufficiently distracted by Ophis's show, Irina had stopped crying, much to Ise's relief.

"A-and look at this Iri-kun!" Ise continued assuming the stance of the red armoured being in his dream and went through the process in summoning his sacred gear. He imagined wearing the armour and the power flowing through him.

After a few moments he succeeded and light enveloped Ise's left hand. It then turned into some kind of red gauntlet with a green jewel embedded on it. Irina's eyes widened in surprise at what she saw and immediately came closer to Ise to inspect the gauntlet.

"I-Ise-kun what is that?" She inquired out of curiosity touching and prodding the gauntlet with her hands.

"Hehe… Iri-kun this is what they call a Say-ku-re-do Ge-ah!" Ise stated proudly.

=={Irina's Side}==

"D-does Ise-kun have super powers?! Can Ise-kun transform?!" Irina asked excitedly. The prospect that her friend may be able to transform like the heroes they always watched made her ecstatic. Is Ise can transform then he can become a hero.

'_That's cool! That is so cool! Ise-kun is awesome! I wanna do it too!'_

"N-no… not yet… Ophis-chan just taught me how to make it show earlier" Ise scratched his head, a bit embarrassed at not being able to meet Irina's expectations. Irina wasn't disappointed though.

"T-then can Ophis-chan teach me as well!?" She looked at Ophis and asked, her voice filled with hope. There may be a chance that she also had the same power but what Ophis' said next disappointed her.

"Shidou Irina does not have a sacred gear" was the reply.

"I-Iri-kun…" Ise looked at her worried at how she'll take Ophis' answer. Ise didn't to give any reason for his friend to be sad.

'_A-ah… Ise-kun's face is… I… I don't like Ise-kun when he's like this… Ise-kun should be smiling like he usually does!'_ She felt bad as she saw the look on Ise's face and scolded herself. She knew she was the reason why Ise was currently sad and worried.

''T-that's okay Ise-kun…I want one but it's okay… It's really cool that you have one!" She smiled, trying to put Ise at ease.

'_Un… I shouldn't cry in front of Ise-kun. I hate it when Ise-kun has that kind of look. I need to smile for Ise-kun!'_ She motivated herself, she liked seeing Ise happy above all else. She became sad when Ise was sad and hence she would smile so that Ise would smile as well.

"Ne~ Ise-kun, what can that do?" She asked, trying to mask her disappointment. Ise on the other hand had already realized what Irina was trying to do and decided to do the same. He would smile for her as well.

"Eh I'm not sure yet… I haven't really talked to Ophis-chan about it yet… but I'll definitely become a dragon hero!" Ise let out a small laugh and smiled goofily at Irina causing her to laugh as well. The two of them had then engaged in a laughing fit.

Anyone that would say that children were naïve and insensitive to such things could not be more wrong, in fact children were very adept at sensing the changes of mood of other people. Though some may find that strange, it was an actual truth.

Very few people could show such level of maturity and consideration at such an age yet there where two children right there who could understand each other to such an extent. True friendship was certainly quite a sight to see. The dragon god observing them also had a smile on her face.

"Hehe… Ise-kun will definitely be an awesome hero! Ise-kun if a bad guy ever gets me, save me okay?" Irina asked in earnest, somewhat afraid of the prospect of being kidnapped by a bad guy yet excited at being rescued by Ise.

"I will definitely rescue Iri-kun when that happens! I will become the most awesome dragon her!" Ise declared striking a pose. No trace of doubt or hesitation could be found in his words.

"Yeah! Ise-kun the dragon hero!" Irina applauded genuinely smiling this time truly happy at Ise's declaration.

'_Hehe…. Ise-kun will become a hero and rescue me like a princess'_

"Ise? Irina-chan is there right? Her parents got worried and are coming over to pick her up" they heard Mrs. Hyoudou shout from the first floor while they were enjoying themselves. Both of them had immediately dropped their smiles from what they heard.

'_No… I wan't so spend more time with Ise-kun… I… I don't want to go yet…'_ Irina put on a pained expression, something that did not escape Ise. Despite everything, she knew that she wouldn't be able to stay any longer and that she and Ise would get separated.

"Iri-kun! Let's get out of here! Ophis-chan let's go!" Ise declared but before Irina could answer he grabbed her hand and pulled her along with him. Ophis followed without question and soon they got to the first floor.

"I-Ise?! Irina-chan?!" Mrs. Hyoudo who was on the phone shouted out as she saw them run by her.

"Sorry kaa-san! Ophis-chan, Iri-kun and I are going to play!" Ise shouted while he ran outside, Ophis and Irina in tow.

"W-wait! Ise-kun! Irina-chan!" Mrs. Hyoudou called for them but btoh children along with Ophis were already too far too hear her.

"Shidou-san… I'm sorry but they left the house when I told them you were coming. My son is certainly causing you a lot of trouble" Mrs. Hyoudou apologized to the person on the phone.

"It's fine… We sprung this up on Irina suddenly. It's understandable that they would act this way. Unfortunately nothing can be done about us moving to Europe so for now, it's best that the children have the chance to play together one last time" A voice at the other end of the line said.

"My son and your daughter had become really close, it's sad that they have to be separated so suddenly but it can't be helped…" Mrs. Hyoudou stated sadly.

"Yes… I just hope that our children won't hate us for this"

=={Kuoh Park}==

"Haah….Haaahh… Ise-kun… lets rest for a bit…" Both Irina and Ise were short on breath after running non-stop. Ophis on the other hand had showed no signs of fatigue. There wasn't even any sweat.

"Y-Yeah… Let's rest for a bit Iri-kun…" They all proceeded to sit down on the bench to rest and catch their breaths.

"Ise-kun… I… I think I should go back. Tou-san and Kaa-san are probable worried about me… Tou-san said that we're moving because of his job so it can't be helped…" Irina stated sadly. No matter how much she wanted to stay she couldn't do anything about it.

"I… I know Iri-kun… I don't wanna let you leave but… I know I can't do anything about it either…" Ise couldn't help but agree. It was silent for a moment but much to Irina's surprise, Ise suddenly stood up.

"Okay I got it! Irina let's play today!" Ise looked at her with determined eyes. Irina was confused at the sudden development but before she could ask, Ise had already spoken.

"We… we probably won't see each other for a really long time… So that's why we need to have as much fun and make as many memories now!" Ise yelled out trying to pump himself up as well as Irina.

"Ah… Un! Ise-kun's right! Let's play and make memories!" Irina yelled out as well trying to force the sadness she was feeling herself. Ise was trying hard for her it was only right for her to meet his determination with her own.

"A-Ah wait Ise-kun! S-Since this might be the last time we spend together we should change from our pyjamas and look proper…" Irina had ran out from her house wearing her pyjamas. Ise had been the same, not having time to change his clothes. Only Ophis was the one who was properly clothed.

"I will take care of it" Ophis simply stated as she raised her hand and changed their clothes.

Ise was now wearing a red short sleeved shirt and black shorts with a black hoodie. Irina on the other hand was now wearing a white one piece dress, her chestnut coloured hair tied into the usual twin tails.

"Eh? Ophis-chan, why did you make Iri-kun wear a dress? Iri-kun is a boy so…" Ise sent a confused look towards Ophis. Ophis had simply stared back not understanding Ise's confusion.

"Eh? But Ise-kun… I'm a girl" Irina replied hearing Ise's words drawing an even more confused look from Ise. She titled her head to the side sharing Ophis' confusion. She had always assumed that Ise knew she was a girl and had called her Iri-kun because of the way she acted.

"Iri-kun… is a girl?" Ise uttered in shock. Irina had always acted like a boy and dressed like one so he had assumed that he was a boy from the start. Though that misunderstanding could have been cleared up by bathing together or going for a swim at the beach, both opportunities had never been presented and so Ise remained ignorant.

"Un!" Irina had nodded with a grin on her face.

"Well Ise-kun, let's start playing!" Irina didn't want to wait anymore and had simply pulled Ise towards the playground of the park.

=={TDoI}==

After a few more minutes, Ise had finally come to terms with the revelation that his best friend was in fact a girl all along. It didn't really matter to him but it did confuse the heck out of him.

There was also this weird feeling inside him telling him that he should have known that and that he was stupid for being ignorant about it but he ignored that feeling and focused on spending time with his best friend.

"Okay Iri-chan, let's see if we can get you up and over the bar!" Ise also changed his way of calling Irina. Switching from the suffix –kun to –chan.

They were currently at the swing set. Irina was sitting on the swing while Ise was behind preparing to push her. Their goal was to be able to get her to swing high enough that she would go over the bar.

"Okay! I'm ready! Go Ise-kun!" At Irina's signal, Ise pushed her as hard as he could. As Irina swung back swung back towards him he would get a hold of her and would push her again.

"Hahahaha! Go Ise-kun! Push harder!" However despite Ise's efforts he didn't have enough strength to make Irina swing over the bar. This is where Ophis came in.

"Ise… I will push it" Ophis stated as she caught Irina as she swung back. She didn't move her body, not even her arm. She used her wrist to push Irina.

"KYAAAAAAAHHHH!" Irina shouted out, shocked by the sudden force imparted to her as she held on to the chains of the swing. She went up and over the bar on top but as she went past the chains slackened and she into an awkward trajectory and almost fell off the seat. Thankfully Ophis had caught her along with the swing.

Ise's jaw had dropped from what he just saw. Irina on the other hand was silent.

"That was awesome! Again! Ophis-chan, I wanna go again!" Irina shouted out excitedly.

They had continued half an hour more with Ise and Irina switching places as Ophis pushed them up and over the bar repeatedly and caught before they fell. Shouts of joy, mixed with a little bit of fear, could be heard from the two.

=={TDoI}==

"Okay Iri-chan…. Are your ready?" Ise asked as he took his position.

"Un! I'm ready" Irina replied, also taking her position.

They were a few meters away from the jungle jim where Ophis was located at the top. The game this time was to simply see who could run faster and reach Ophis.

"Ready… Get set… Go" Ophis raising her and bringing it down in a chopping motion to signify the start of the race.

Ise seemed to have taken the lead but Irina was able to catch up quickly. The race was closed between the two competitors but Irina was more nimble and was able to climb the jungle jim faster than Ise. As Irina reached the top she approached and pulled Ophis into a hug.

"Winner… Shidou Irina" Ophis declared as Irina celebrated while holding on to her. Ise on the other hand was finally able to reach them and had rested a bit to catch his breath.

"Haah…haah, Iri-chan is really fast…" Ise said drawing a victorious grin from Irina. Ise didn't really expect to win; Irina had always been the more athletic between them.

"Hehe, I won't lose to Ise-kun so easily!" Irina then flashed a peace sign towards Ise.

=={TDoI}==

What they played next was one of the most brutal battles they had engaged in. It was a battle that required the ability to read the opponent's mind and predict their next movement. It was psychological warfare in its simplest form.

Both Ise and Irina got into position. Their right hands aligned while Ophis was in the middle to judge the competition so as no fair play may be done. Both parties were staring each other down, determined to win the competition.

"Let us start the match" Ophis declared holding the hands of Ise and Irina. As she released them, she gave the signal.

"Start" She looked intently at both hands. As both parties raised it up and decided their course of action.

Both hands came down and the victor was decided.

"Winner, Shidou Irina" Ophis declared as she concluded from the figures that their hands had taken.

Ise's hand was closed as if preparing to punch while Irina's hand was wide open as if to clasp the closed hand. Irina had a grinned.

Ise had groaned in defeat has Irina had successfully predicted his first move and countered him however he would not give up. He had lost the first battle but he would not lose anymore. He looked up at Irina showing a determined face, Irina replied with a determined face of her own.

They got into position once again and Ophis gave the signal to start.

""Rock!""

""Paper!""

""Scissors!""

And their hands came down once again. Cunning tactics were employed, psychological warfare was waged, their minds were pushed to the very brinks of exhaustion but in the very end only one came out as the winner.

"Winner of this competition. Shidou Irina" Ophis declared raising Irina's hand up. Ise had fallen to his knees in despair due to his loss.

Like a shounen manga Irina approached Ise and offered him her hand. Ise met her gaze and understood her intent. She grabbed the hand and they hugged acknowledging each other's skill and ability. Ophis nodded in approval of the displayed sportsmanship between the competitors.

=={TDoI}==

"Hehe… It was really fun Ise-kun" Irina said happily as she was lying on the ground with Ise beside her. They were currently resting and watching the sky. Ophis was sitting in seiza near them, observing the sky as well.

"Yeah…" It was the only reply Ise could give. They played till exhaustion doing various things.

"Iri-chan is actually really strong" Ise uttered noting the fact that Irina had won most of the competitions they did.

"Hehe… But I don't have a special power like Ise-kun…" She muttered sadly turning her body to the side towards Ise. Ise closed his eyes for a bit and afterwards did turned towards her as well.

"Hey Iri-chan… Do you remember that one time where that really cool guy that looks like a bat beat everyone else even though he had no powers" Ise asked seriously after he recalled that particular character. Irina's father had once brought back comic books from his visit to the US and had read it to both of them. Needless to say they had a lot of fun wearing masks and capes, playing pretend for at least a week afterwards.

"Yeah! He was really cool! Even though he didn't have powers he was still more awesome than the others!" Irina really enjoyed that moment in the past. She could still remember how they somehow broke the ceiling fan while playing.

"That's right! Didn't your tou-san say that that guy became strong because he worked really hard even though he didn't have powers?" Ise stated even more seriously.

"Eh? Then…"

"Yeah! That means Iri-chan can become a hero even if you don't have a say-ku-re-do ge-ah like me!"

Irina was taken aback by Ise's seriousness but she couldn't' help but smile at how hard he was trying to cheer her up.

"Un! ...Ise-kun is right! Even though I don't have special powers I'll still try my best and become stronger!" She got up from her position and took a guts pose.

"Ise-kun! I'll also become stronger so please do you best too!"

"Yeah! I'll become a super strong dragon hero and then we'll both beat up bad guys!"

"Then it's a promise!" Irina raised her hand closing her fingers aside from her pinkie.

"Yeah! A promise!" Ise retuned the gesture and they made a child's version of a blood oath, more commonly known… as a pinkie swear.

Ophis didn't speak a word simply observing the two, a knowing smile on her face. The two would certainly meet again… As a dragon and an angel.

=={After a few days}==

Ise went along with his mother and Ophis as they said goodbye to the Shidou family. Irina's father and mother had questioned who the black haired girl was but they had decided not to comment on it as their daughter and Ise seemed to be close to each other.

The last few days where spent packing items of the Shidou household. Both Ise and Ophis had helped. They made sure to spend as much time together as they could.

Before the final day of departure after finishing the packing, they had decided to take a commemorative photo together. The ones in the photo were Irina, Ise, Ophis, and Mr. and Mrs. Shidou.

Mr. Shidou however was scolded by his wife for bringing insisting on carrying one of his swords but both Ise and Irina found it pretty cool to see.

"Bye Ise-kun, bye Ophis-chan" Irina hugged both as she said goodbye.

"Bye Iri-chan! Remember our promise!" Ise flashed her a grin as he raised up his pinkie.

"Be well and take care" Ophis gave a slightly more formal goodbye.

"Hehe, I already asked papa if he could train me with his sword and he gave a really happy smile! Mama looked pale but she didn't say anything so I guess she agrees!" Mrs. Shidou gave a sigh from her daughter's words while her husband smirked.

"Okay, it's time to board the plane. Ise-kun make sure to take care of yourself. You and Irina can always send letters" Mrs. Shidou then proceeded to give Ise a hug. She's gotten attached to the boy despite the trouble he caused.

"Irina had mentioned something about getting stronger, it seems I have you to thank for that" Mr Shidou settled for giving him a pat on the head.

The adults then said their goodbyes to each other and the Shidou family went on their way to board the plane. After the plane they had boarded had left their sights, the Hyoudou family went on their way home.

Ise and Ophis went straight to their room.

"Ophis-chan"

"Yes?"

"I'll definitely get stronger"

"Un… Ise will definitely become strong"

"You'll help me right Ophis-chan"

"Yes… I will make sure that Ise becomes the strongest"

That was the exchange right before they went to sleep.

In the future Ise would describe himself as the "most naïve" and "stupidest" child to ever exist for actually asking Ophis for training. Though he certainly did get stronger, his childhood was riddled with many traumatic experiences from training alone.

=={Some time later}==

Ise had a very, very bad feeling about this. The place they were currently at was definitely strange. He had gotten a glimpse of how strict Ophis could be in his basic training so the current situation gave him very bad vibes.

"O-Ophis-chan? W-what are we doing here?" He asked, not able to handle the tension.

Ophis just turned to him and gave him a smile filled with warmth.

"Ise… I believe in Ise" She stated

"Y-yeah… Okay t-thanks" That did not bode well for him. He had gotten to know the black haired girl well. She was usually reserved with her emotions and expressions but she would show it to him when they were alone.

The problem lay in the fact that when she became too expressive, it usually meant something was up. When she became too expressive it usually meant she was copying something she had seen in a game, anime, or read in a story.

Her natural expressions were more reserved so it was rather easy for him to tell.

"Ise is strong and can overcome any obstacles…" She continued. He eyes held conviction. She truly believed her words. There was not a being in the world capable of making her believe otherwise.

"That is why… Ise… dodge" As she finished her sentence countless laser beams had suddenly fired towards Ise.

"WAAAAHHHHH! OPHIS-CHAN WAIT! PLEASE WAIT!" However Ise's words fell into deaf ears. Ophis was confident that Ise would be able to survive no matter what happened.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Unknown location}==

"_Is **** it?" _

_He could hear a voice. The tone was tinged with anger and irritation_

**"_You… who the hell are you?!"_**

"_You **** a maou… I thought you had ***** like ********** Vali" _

_The voice belittled him treated him like he was insignificant._

**"_HOW DARE YOU TREAT ME LIKE I'M INSIGNIFICANT!" _**

"_I am ********* of *********! I won't ******lose ****fake maou*******!" _

**"_FAKE?! YOU ACCUSE ME OF BEING A FAKE?! YOU FOOL I AM THE REAL ONE!"_**

"… _If ******* trying to ******** away ** future****, then I **** Kill you!"_

_An enormous crimson light covered his field of vision._

"G-gahh?!" He woke up drenched in sweat, his breath ragged.

"DAMNIT!" He released a large amount of power and destroyed his surroundings out of irritation.

"WHO THE HELL DOES THAT TRASH THINK HE IS?!" He shouted out.

After destroying the majority of the surroundings he had cooled down. He was usually calm and collected but that dream, for some reason, irritated him to no end. He could feel extreme hatred and anger simply recalling it.

"Calm yourself…" He straightened his posture and put things into perspective.

"How many times does this make? It should be the sixth… no seventh time" He counted, that dream wasn't knew to him although every succeeding dream had been more detailed than the last, slowly revealing the missing words and images.

"Hmph… A premonition? Of my death?" He considered. The enemy that killed him in his dream was not one he was familiar with. The only thing he could make out currently was the crimson armour.

"Tch… for someone like that trash to be able to kill me" Even though he took great pride in his own power he was no fool. If such a thing as his death was shown to him then it was more prudent to prepare instead of ignoring it.

"Yes… It must be some kind of prediction… If my death is being shown to me then it would only mean…" He paused to contemplate. He recalled all of the images and words from the dreams he could.

"Ophis" One word had stood out. It was the only name that was called aside from his own. He recalled it from the earlier dreams he had had.

"Fuahahahaha! I see!" Coming to a small realization, he laughed like a madman.

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Dimensional Gap}==

She opened her eyes to the sight of a strangely coloured sky. A mix of iridescent colours could be seen in every direction, it was as if one were looking at the sky through a kaleidoscope.

She could feel the rushing wind blowing by her and the sound of flapping wings. She was currently resting her back on what seemed to be a large red spike.

**[You've awoken]**

She heard a growl in front of her. She understood the what it meant instinctively. Only dragons like her would be able to understand it without effort, other beings would only here a roar or a growl unless telepathic communications were established.

"Yes… My vessel had just gone to sleep" She replied adjusting her position slightly to make herself more comfortable. She also made sure that her power firmly kept her in place for what she knew was about to come.

After a few moments, Great Red performed a barrel roll. Ophis made sure to close her eyes before the act. Being a dragon god didn't exempt her from getting dizzy.

"I had told you many times not to perform such tricks when I am awake" She replied with some irritation.

**[It was your choice to leave your main body with me so you can't complain]**

Great Red replied continuing its high speed flight but had opted not to perform any big, elaborate manoeuvres.

"It was the most logical choice" She asserted.

**[Why not simply be with the boy yourself instead of using such a round-about method?]**

"Doing such a thing would be dangerous" She replied. She created a vessel, a separate body that would be able to carry her consciousness. When it was time to wake up, her mind would leave her main body and go to the vessel. At night when the vessel went to sleep the consciousness would return to the main body.

**[Dangerous? For a dragon god?]** Great Red questioned, doubting the fact that there was anything that would pose a threat to Ophis aside from himself and Samael.

"No, dangerous for a human" She was the second most powerful existence in the world. Unlike in her former world she had her full power and that made all the difference.

"If I was to go to Ise with my main body, one that houses my full power, I would without doubt call the attention of other beings" She was a dragon god after all. No matter how well she would be able to conceal her power someone would still eventually locate her. For this purpose she created a vessel with little power to avoid alerting any other being of her presence or unknowingly attracting them.

"Dragons attracted those with power. Even if I am able to defeat anything that may come, a significant amount of damage would be dealt to the surroundings and danger would fall upon Ise. I cannot allow that" It would be akin to an extremely powerful magnet. Any piece of metal would immediately attach to it once it comes within proximity of its magnetic field.

**[Your worries are unfounded. I doubt anyone would notice the boy at this point of time]**

"Even so… Something tells me that danger will approach him. It may not come soon but I am certain that it will…" She stated, worry apparent in her voice.

**[You are the infinite, you simply need to use your power and nothing can stop you aside from myself]**

"I may be the infinite but I am not absolute" She said sternly. She had long understood that no matter how much power she had she couldn't do everything. There were things that were beyond even her power to control.

**[To display such emotion… You've changed Ouroboros. You've changed greatly]**

"Ophis… Address me as such. You are a friend now, such a distant treatment will not do"

A friend. She probably would not have been able to consider Great Red as her friend in the past. If anyone had told her former self that this was going to happen then she would most likely given them a very flat stare and a deadpan look. It was probably the only face she could even manage then.

**[A friend… how strange of you to say such things]**

Great Red then suddenly performed a sharp turn and then tucked in its wings in, going into a sudden nose dive. Before it reached the ground, it opened its wings and made a sharp rise following it up with a back flip.

**[For you to change this much… If I had not witnessed the gradual change myself then I wouldn't believe you were the same being I had faced in the past]**

"Must I repeat myself? Do not perform your tricks while I am conscious" She was annoyed. Despite just proclaiming Great Red as her friend, it seemed to be intent in disregarding her words.

**[This much should not trouble a dragon god]** Though only growls could be heard and she couldn't see Great Red's face, she was sure that the red dragon was greatly amused.

They flied in silence afterwards, Great Red simply flying in the air while Ophis had opted to stare at the colourful sky.

**[I would like to meet him. The one who had changed you so much]**

The statement had brought a smile to Ophis' face. It was a feeling she could greatly relate to,

"Do you not possess memories of him? Do with that for now" She answered knowing what reply the red dragon would give.

**[You and I both know that even in those memories you speak of, our meetings were scarce. It could be counted in one human hand]**

Another bout of silence ensued.

"Do you watch it? His dreams" She asked, curios whether the red dragon that symbolized dreams would be curious enough to do so.

**[Yes… They are quite… interesting. More so than any other I have seen. It only makes me want to meet the boy more]**

"Then be patient. I will bring him here when the time is right… For now, settle on viewing his dreams"

She paused waiting for Great Red to finish turning.

"When you see all his dreams… when you meet him… even you will find that flying in this world boring and unnecessary" She proclaimed with absolute sureness.

**[Is that so? That's quite the grand boast… Heh, I certainly look forward for his arrival]**

==The Dream of the Infinite=============================================================

=={Devil Halcyon Days 3}==

There was something in particular that Ophis wanted to do.

Recently she had gotten interested in playing various different video games that could be played at the Hyoudou residence. Rias Gremory, who had noticed her growing interest, had taken it upon herself to obtain different sets of games and their respective consoles.

Hence, with the power, authority and wealth of the Gremory, nearly every gaming device, be it old and new models could now be found in the Hyoudou residence. There were consoles of every generation, portable devices of every brand and a collection of games of every conceivable genre that would make any human gamer drool a tub of saliva.

So when Ophis wasn't busy observing the other members of the Gremory Group, she was usually playing a video game on one of the consoles when Ise was home, or playing with portable gaming devices when she was following Ise around.

She had taken a particular liking to RPG games with fantasy themes as well as MMORPGs. She had once even made an account on a famous MMORPG, topping the boards and decimating every other player in PVP matches. She had become a living legend on the net for being undefeated. Countless guilds have offered her to join and companies have come to her to offer her a place in real life competitions, however she had simply ignored them.

Frankly, she just grew bored of the whole thing.

On the other hand, she had found a certain type of game that may help her in her endeavour.

According the information she had gathered from Xenovia, Shidou Irina, and Asia Argento, this game allows one to interact with various characters and would be prompted to 'get along' with them. The game required the player to understand the personality, hobbies, likes and dislikes of a particular character and be made to choose the most appropriate responses in order to foster a romantic relationship with said characters.

Yes, this was a game that would be instrumental in her quest of understanding other beings.

And so we are brought to this peculiar situation…

"O-ophis?!" An extremely nervous and somewhat uncomfortable Hyoudo Issei was currently in a dangerous situation.

Of course dangerous didn't exactly mean that there was currently an enemy wielding dark and evil eldritch powers raging war and committing acts of terrorism against the civilian populace. Definitely not. After all it hasn't been a week since something like that had happened and the universe isn't cruel enough to throw another situation towards them so soon.

No, the 'danger' presented by the current situation was another thing entirely.

"Ise, I require your aid to play this game" Ophis, who was sitting on his lap, had said in her usual calm and monotone voice. She was currently putting the CD in the computers disk tray and installing the recently bought game.

Though Ophis sitting on his lap was nothing new by now the problem was the fact that she was wearing nothing but a large black unbuttoned shirt and panties.

The fact that she was in her older, teenager form only made the situation worse and the only reason he wasn't losing any blood from his nose was because he had already developed a certain level of tolerance towards these things. On a side note, he could now take baths with Rias and the other girls 5 times a week and be able to get through the whole thing without passing out form blood loss. He was rather proud of himself for that fact.

'_Gahh… She probably took a shower before deciding to do this, she smells really good…'_

As he was distracted by the wonderful fragrance Ophis had already almost finished installing the game. She proceeded to adjust the brightness of the screen and the volume.

'_I wonder who thought her how to use the computer? It's nice to see that she's able to do things like this now… Haha who knew that the dragon god-sama would take an interest in video games… On that note what kind of game does she need my help with? I'm pretty sure she's better at me in most games by now…'_

He heard a sound and some background music playing. Ophis had already launched the game.

'_Hmmm… I wonder what type of game this is? Maybe another RPG... or maybe some kind of simulation… Ah! Maybe-'_

Before he could finish his thought process, various imagery had been displayed in the opening sequence of the game. Said imagery was of girls in suggestive poses wearing little to no clothing at all.

It was apparent what type of game she needed help with. It was also apparent who thought her about these things.

"Ise, this game poses many difficulties for me. I require guidance in playing it." Ophis stated, her hands on the keyboard and the wireless mouse.

He could understand why she needed his help. Despite the improvements Ophis had made she was still far from understanding basic human emotions and such things. These type of games often required some common sense.

Though of course real life tended to be different, it was still a good way to understand how to get along with other people. However-

"…Ophis… Just to confirm, who was the one that gave you this game?" Ise questioned, genuinely curious. Eroge were not part of the game collection that could be found in the house. Though he already had a suspicion on whom it was, it was better to confirm first.

"Xenovia and Shidou Irina. Asia Argento had approved as well"

"I KNEW IT! THAT CHURCH TRIO WHAT WERE THEY THINKING!" Ise shouted. Before he could complain however, something took away his attention.

Suddenly, a loud thud was heard and the door was forcefully opened. Ise was somewhat shocked by the sudden action and was even more shocked to see who it was.

It was a silver haired woman with blue eyes. She was wearing pants and a long-sleeved shirt that had the top buttons undone slightly revealing her cleavage. The shirt seemed to be a tight fit and there was no indication of a bra.

'_A silver haired bishoujou! But…who is she?'_

"Hyoudou Issei… Where is that damn Azazel?" Ise was somewhat surprised when the woman addressed her, noting that her way of speaking was somewhat familiar.

"Umm… Who exactly are you?" He asked, trying his hardest to recall any beautiful white-haired women he's met. It was impossible for him to forget someone like that after all.

"… I'm Vali… As you can see, I have… gotten into a peculiar situation and I have good sense to know that Azazel is behind this." Vali, now a female, replied with a slight blush on her(his) face, apparently slightly embarrassed.

"EHHH?!" Ise was stupefied with the revelation that the white haired bishoujo in front of him was in actuality, his rival the Hakuryouku albeit in a female body. A beautiful and sexy female body.

'_Vali's really beautiful and her oppai are—WAIT! WAIT! Stop it you idiot! This is just like that one time with Kiba!'_

He slapped himself for his thought process. Being attracted to his male, now turned female, rival had felt wrong on so many different levels.

"Hyoudou Issei, I ask again, where is that damn Azazel?" Despite the apparent calm in Vali's face, it was quite clear that she(he) was irritated. Ise noticed that her face was strangely red.

"H-Hey, your face is really red and you seem troubled… Are you okay Vali?" He questioned, genuinely concerned for his rival's current condition. Azazel's inventions brought a lot of trouble and the effects they may have may vary. There was a possibility that his rival may be sick or in pain of some sort.

"B-Be quiet! I-I'm fine! Stop showing me such concern! It provokes strange feelings!" Vali replied, clearly flustered. A luminescent blush could be easily seen on her(his) face.

'_Kawaii!'_

There was a very short moment that Ise thought that that was absolutely adorable but he immediately broke of that line of thought. No, his rival was not beautiful, no he did not have ecchi thoughts towards his rival, no he definitely did not think his rival was cute, and no he did not want to use dress break on his rival. He kept repeating the words in his head like a mantra to fully convince himself.

"Gaaah! What is it with this body?! Why did I feel so strange when I heard Hyoudou Issei's words?!" Clearly in panic due to the unidentifiable emotions she(he) was currently experiencing, Vali took several deep breaths to calm herself(himself).

"Vali" Ophis who was busy with the eroge she was playing on the computer had suddenly addressed the newly arrived female Vali. Vali had focused on Ophis due to her words noting her current state of dress. This being the Hyoudou residence, she(he) summarily ignored it, he had seen far worse.

"Vali, let us play" Ophis stared at Vali and she(he) could see the expectation in her eyes. She(he) truly wanted to just find Azazel to resolve the current situation but the prospect of spending time with Ophis and Hyoudou Issei was strangely attractive to her(him).

After a few seconds to hesitation, equivalent to an eternity of wrestling with unkown feeligns, Vali relented to Ophis' request.

…

…

…

"HOW DID IT TURN OUT LIKE THIS?!" Ise shouted out, exasperated from current events. He was now wearing nothing but his boxers while Ophis had kept wearing the black shirt but removed her underwear. Vali was also wearing nothing but her(his) boxers meaning she(he) had to cover her newly acquired set of breasts. Ise had a difficult time averting his gaze.

"H-Hyoudou Issei do not look this way!" Vali stated bashfully, her(his) face completely red due to embarrassment. Her(his) head and were was in turmoil due to the explosion of emotion she(he) was undergoing.

"I-I won't!" Ise stated firmly, more to convince himself than anyone else. If asked whether he was enjoying the situation he would definitely deny it. The nosebleed however would make such a statement very unconvincing.

"Ah… a bad end…" Ophis stated. An image of a huge black skinned man, though it would be more appropriate to call it a monster, was shown and the main character was said to die. It was still quite early in the game and they had picked the choice of not participating in the war that would happen, that apparently lead to a bad end.

The game they were playing was somewhat different from most of the eroge he had played in the past. He usually played nukiges, games with such high porn content that the story became unimportant. The one they were playing right now however had a very engaging and interesting plot. It was more appropriate to consider it a visual novel more than anything.

The story they had gotten to see so far was that the main character, a red head who dedicated himself to helping others, had been unfortunate enough to witness a battle between two inhuman beings while he was leaving school at night. He was detected and promptly killed by one of the said beings but was saved by a twin tailed girl wearing a long sleeved red dress, short skirt and black stockings.

The main character then went home after waking up trying to make sense of what happened to him but the inhuman being had found tracked him down to finish the job. It was then that he had somehow summoned another being, a short blonde girl wearing a long blue dress. Armour covered her torso and arms. The blonde wielded an invisible sword and was very adept at close ranged combat.

After the blonde girl repelled the enemy, the twin tailed girl came and another altercation ensued. The main character however had decided to intervene and after some convincing, everyone had decided to have a temporary cease fire as explanations about the situation were made to the main character. He learned that he had become an unknowing participant in a war.

They then proceeded to go to the church where the coordinator of the war was apparently located. After meeting the priest, he was given a choice whether he would participate in the war or not.

Ise being the more pacifistic person in in their group had advised Ophis to choose not to participate.

"Hmph… It is a fitting punishment for a coward. It is a war where heroes of legend are summoned to fight, I would join that war even if I was not chosen to participate" The white haired bishoujou who was covering her(his) chest beside him had uttered, apparently disapproving the action they had chosen.

Let it be known that Vali loved battles more than life itself.

"A-ah well I just wanted to see what would happen if we chose that… I more or less expected a bad end anyway. Ophis, load from the last save and pick the other choice" he instructed but before Ophis went into the save and load screen they saw a new scene that was apparently called the "Tiger Dojo". It was apparently a way to help the players with why they got a bad end. It was comical and enjoyable but pretty useless.

After loading the last save, they had picked the other choice and proceeded with the story. Ise noticed that there were a lot of save files. It was apparent that someone had already played and finished the game.

It was then that another person came in the room.

"I-Ise-kun…" A soft gentle and somewhat familiar voice could be heard making Ise turn his head towards its direction. What he saw was a blonde bishoujou or more specifically, gender bent Yuuto Kiba.

"H-have you seen Azazel-sensei? When I had woken up, I had found that my body was already like this…" The blonde said with a small blush on her face.

"K-Kiba…" Ise could only utter feeling helpless in his current situation.

"W-Wait! I-Is that Vali Lucifer?!" Kiba had shouted out, finally noticing the situation.

"A-ah… Kiba Yuuto, it seems that you are in a similar situation…" Vali addressed Kiba, a strange sympathetic look in her(his) eyes.

"Well… It's a long story…" Ise started somewhat relieved that it was Kiba instead of anyone else. His relief was short lived though.

"Kiba Yuuto… Join us" Ophis declared, levelling a stare to Kiba.

…

…

…

"Guuuhhhh…." Ise was at his limits. The situation he was facing was far more difficult than anything else he had faced before. He would much rather have another fist fight with Sairaorg Bael.

It was getting harder and harder for him, in many different ways, especially now that Kiba, who was forced to strip down to nothing but his boxers as well, was now sitting beside him like Vali.

Basically, he now had a female Vali on his right, a female Kiba on his left and Ophis sitting on his lap. Everyone had little to no clothing. What made it worse was that Vali and Kiba were acting like proper maidens.

"E-Exactly why must we be undressed for this?" Kiba asked, baffled as to why they had to strip down to play an erotic game. She was currently using both hands to cover her modest chest.

"… It is apparently the required when playing these types of games. Japanese culture is very strange…" Vali replied having somewhat gotten used to the situation.

"B-but this has nothing to do with Japanese culture! I am absolutely sure that stripping down while playing erotic games is definitely not normal!" Kiba asserted. He may have been a foreigner but what he said was nothing more than common sense.

"W-well, you're not wrong but Ophis seems to think so…" Ise replied with a weak voice. His mental fortitude was eroding by the second. His retorts had become somewhat weak.

"It is a necessity" Ophis declared imperiously to the three. There was a strange pressure coming from her and the three felt that it would be better to simply follow whatever she said. Weakened state or not she was still more powerful than the both the heavenly dragons combined.

Thought that never really stopped Vali, her newly acquired otome heart complicated things and she had trouble sorting out her emotions. Though she wanted nothing more than to fix her current situation, some unknown force was compelling her to stay.

Silence ensued as Ophis continued playing the game. They all simply paid attention to the story, throwing out comments here and there and providing input when a choice was presented.

They were currently in the route of the purple haired heroine. All of them had decided to choose the more favourable responses to help and or aid the purple haired heroine (Vali only putting in advice when battle was involved) and it seemed to have shifted the story in her route. The story had taken a turn for the worse, events had become progressively darker.

=={TDoI}==

"Of course we will! There is no way we're abandoning her! I won't just give up like that!" Ise shouted, upon being given the choice whether the main character and the twin tailed character should kill the purple haired heroine to prevent a calamity from happening.

"That is certainly like you Hyoudou Issei" Vali commented with a small smile on her face.

"Of course, this is Ise-kun we're talking about" Kiba agreed, also smiling.

"Un… I will… find a way to save Sakura…" Ophis muttered putting on a determined face.

They hadn't noticed it yet but they were already absorbed by the story. Ise had not noticed but both Vali and Kiba had stopped covering their breasts and had leaned in closer to him to better see the computer screen.

=={TDoI}==  
"I see… It is possible that the white haired servant of the twin tails may be another version of the main character" Vali realized as he saw the main character make use of the arm that was transplanted to him from the white haired servant of the twin tails.

"Indeed, the priest had earlier commented that transplanting the arm was only possible because the main character and the white haired hero was nearly identical" Kiba agreed.

"Hmmm… You know, the main character's ability is pretty similar to Kiba" Ise pointed out. The main character was shown to be able to create swords out of thin air, something that was strangely similar to Kiba's sacred gear.

"…Though it is similar they are fundamentally different. His abilities allow him to replicate any weapon he had seen along with the skill of the original wielder, I on the other hand simply create blade already recorded in my sacred gear…" Kiba replied. At that point she was already acting as if she was male again, not minding that she was in close proximity with Ise, her breast touching his shoulder.

"It is an interesting ability. To be able to replicate not only the weapon itself but the skill of the original wielder makes him formidable. Even if the weapon and the skill are inferior to the original, it makes him a dangerous opponent given the fact that he can use various legendary weapons skilfully." Vali followed up, analysing the main character's combat prowess. He was much in the same state as Kiba.

"Hmm… an interesting ability" Ophis added, strangely determined.

=={TDoI}==

"That bastard! H-how could someone even be able to do something so horrible?!" Ise shouted upon learning that the purple haired heroine named Sakura was subjected to unspeakable acts by her family. Her grandfather had essentially tortured her while his brother had raped her repeatedly.

"How disgusting… For someone to actually be capable of doing such unspeakable acts for such a petty reason" Kiba hissed showing the same anger as Ise. The brother had raped the heroine to satisfy his own ego.

"Tch… The old man… How pathetic" Vali on the other hand commented on the grandfather. He had been disgusted at the acts of the brother as well but the grandfather had truly disgusted him. To go so far for power to appoint that humanity and morality was thrown away was something he had greatly condoned.

"I, will eliminate them" Ophis declared.

=={TDoI}==

"Come on! Just a little bit more! FIGHT!" Ise cheered passionately as he saw the main character soldier on despite his grave injuries. Tears could be found in his eyes.

The main character had swords slowly sprouting out from inside his body but mostly from the wounds he had obtained from defeating the huge black giant and his former servant, the blonde knight. Both of which had been placed under the control of the heroine, now turned evil and insane.

The main character's mind was already in shambles. His memories were eroding bit by bit and it had progressed to a point that he couldn't even remember the heroine's name.

"Such determination! To go so far…" Kiba uttered in amazement.

"Heh… he's good, I would hope to fight him someday" Vali commented, excited at the prospect of fighting such a person.

"Yes… such strength of will, must be rewarded. He will… reach the proper ending" Ophis stated. Not even the dragon god could help but be impressed.

=={TDoI}==

"Haha! Yes! We did it!" Ise cheered, shedding tears of happiness.

They reached the ending and were rewarded with an image of the main character, the twin tails, the purple haired heroine, and the servant of the heroine together.

"Un… Good work…" Ophis stated, nodding as if congratulating the characters for getting this far.

"Hmph… That wasn't as bad as I had expected… It seems there is some merit to these things" Vali stated her head almost touching Ise's.

"Yes… I had judged these things to early… I was not expecting it to have such an engaging plot" Kiba stated her cheeks actually touching Ise's.

"Well that was actually fun…" Ise said apparently forgetting the current situation and not realizing their current positions.

Of course with impeccable timing, a knock on the door could be heard.

It was at this moment that Ise and the two former males beside him had realized their current positions. Vali was currently laying her head on Ise's her arm wrapped around his back, her breasts touching his shoulder. Kiba was latched on to Ise's other arm her cheek touching Ise's and her breasts sandwiching his arm. Ophis was still in her former position, her bottom directly on top of Ise's groin area.

There was dead silence. Furious blushing ensued and silent screams of "Kyaaahh!" were released in their hearts. The three of them moved simultaneously trying to remove themselves from their current positions however what resulted had been far, far worse than before.

Ise was apparently blessed by the god of accidental perverts Yuuki Rito and had masterfully fallen into an impossibly ecchi situation. No one knew how it happened. No one understood how it was even possible. It just happened.

Ise now found himself in an even more dangerous situation. His face was sandwiched between Vali's assets while his hand had somehow found its way inside Kiba's boxers, sandwiched between her thighs. Ophis had somehow ended up on top of the back of his head, further pressing him down Vali's breasts.

It was at this moment that the gods have decided that the person knocking at the door should enter without warning.

"Hyoudou-kun… I apologize for coming uninvited however I would like to inquire where Azazel-sensei is, I could not contact anyone—" Sona Sitri, finally noticing the current state of things was frozen on the spot.

The situation she had walked into surely had a long complicated story behind it; that she was sure of. However she could not blamed for making other assumptions.

After all no matter what angle you looked at it, anyone who was not aware of what happened would conclude that Hyoudou Issei was currently engaging in a foursome with the young black haired girl and the female versions of Kiba Yuuto and Vali Lucifer. There was no other possible way to view it.

And so Sona Sitri had simply decided the proper course of action.

"I apologize for intruding. I will make sure to give forewarning for my next visit. Do not fret as I am not one to judge of another fetishes and/or hobbies. Thank you and have a good day" The usually calm and collected president of the student council was furiously blushing at the scene and had properly apologized for her interruption.

She then backed away slowly, closed the door quietly and quickly made her way out of the Hyoudou residence.

"I-Ise-kun! P-Please get you hand out of there!" Kiba shouted, panicked and embarrassed. Her luminescent blush not subsiding.

"H-Hyoudou Issei remove yourself from me! W-What is that hard thing touching my thigh?!" Vali stuggled trying to shake him off. If one were to look at her face, one would notice that she was close to crying.

"S-Stop! W-We won't be able to get out of this if you struggle like that! Ophis! Get off my head!" Ise shouted out in desperation trying to amend the situation quickly so he can get to Sona and explain what happened properly.

The gods up high, not satisfied with his suffering, had decided to make the situation worse.

"Ise-senpai are you here? I've come back from the Grigori Institute to—"Gasper Vladi had suddenly entered the room with a big smile on his face but was also stopped cold by the current scene.

"I-I will also join in!" Gasper declared starting to take of his clothes. It was pretty much the expected reaction.

"GAAAAHHHHH!" Ise could only shout in desperation.

=={TDoI}==

A/N: Well I hope you enjoyed this chapter... If not then I'll make sure to make it up on the next one.

To those who didn't actually get which game they were playing, it was fate/stay night Sakura route... Hopefully I was able to somehow let readers who have never played the game understand what was going on

Well... I'm going to get some well deserved sleep now...


	5. Chapter 4: Their thoughts

Hey everyone... here's the next chapter. Truth be told, I could have posted this yesterday but by the time I had finished it was already 11 am. I decided to simply upload it the next morning so I would have some time to proofread it.

I then ended up rewriting(for the third time) the majority of the chapter because I felt unsatisfied. Though the fact that I wasn't able to follow the "one chapter a week" rule I had imposed on myself bothers me a bit. Well let's all just pretend that this chapter was released yesterday!

This story has finally reached 100+ favs and follows. Thank you very much for your support!

By the way, please take the time to read the following chapter notes and the author's notes at the end of the chapter.

With regards to this chapter:

Alright, first of all this chapter was the hardest one to write yet. The majority of the things in here are stuff I'm unfamiliar with so I had to rewrite the thing several times. I focused on showing the current state of relationships of the characters (In this case Great Red, Ophis and Ise) and showing the slight differences in their general character as opposed to their canon counterparts.

Please leave a comment on whether I had done well with this chapter and If I was able to succeed in my intent. I will be very grateful if you would provide me with criticism and advice.

By the way, I was surprised the omake for the last chapter was so well received (Thank you once again rifansyah51). I ended up writing a similar one for this chapter, this time inspired by Unseen Lurker's comment. To be quite honest, I actually had other omakes planned for the this chapter and the one before it instead of the ones I've shown you... Guess I'll just have to put those in reserve for now.

Replies to some of the reviews:

Unseen Lurker: I'm a male calico cat! No... I'm sorry that was a lie. I'm just a normal male cat. By the way, the inspiration for the omake for this chapter was your comment so thanks for that.

The Fairy King: From what I can recall, Saber doesn't actually kill you but leaves to try and find another master for herself. When you return home, Illya find you and then you go splat. Ah, well it's been a while since I've last played it so I may be wrong. Enjoy playing the last route and getting Realta Nua :D

Guest #1: Basically, Vali and Kiba are left in a compromising position with Ise and Ophis with Gasper trying to join in on the fun. What happened after that is a story for another time :)

Guest #2: Thank you, I try my best with regards to Ophis' portrayal. I also have every intention of finishing this fic. I can't promise that there won't be any delays in some of the chapter releases though

Fate Burn: Thank you for going through the trouble of actually putting a review on every chapter :)

alfonse08: Even now I'm still on the fence on whether I should make him a devil. All your points are valid and I've put them into consideration but I might still end up having stay as he is. Thankfully though canon timeline won't start for a while so I still have a good amunt of time to decide.

Thank you once gain for those who had taken the time to write reviews. I am happy that you enjoyed the last chapter!

Disclaimer: Nope, I don't profit from this at all.

So with that out of the way, Chapter 4 begin!

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

It was still dark despite it being 10am. It was drizzling outside but if the weather forecasts rang true then it then the rain would eventually become stronger and turn into a full pledged storm.

Though it was a weekday, both Ophis and Ise were still in bed. Ise was still in dreamland while Ophis was staring at the ceiling concentrating on the sound of the water droplets hitting the roof. Every now and then she would take a look at Ise.

Rains and storms never really bothered her; in fact it was actually something she liked. A storm meant that most members of the Gremory group would stay at home and she would be able to spend more time with them.

Right now however, she was uneasy. She was restless and felt the need to constantly confirm that Ise was still there with her. The feeling of fear was not something she was accustomed to. It wasn't something that she had actually ever experienced before. She had nothing to care for in the past, no bonds to be broken, no family or friend to lose, no enemy that could truly pose a threat but right now she did have someone. Someone she didn't want to lose no matter what.

She was powerful, more powerful than most beings in the world. Even gods themselves wouldn't be able to touch her. Yet despite the fact that she had access to her full power, she still couldn't help but feel that it was inadequate.

'_I am infinite but not absolute'_

It was something that she always reminded herself. It was a mantra that she would always chant as a reminder that no matter how powerful she was she could not accomplish everything. She may have symbolized the infinite and she may be one of the most powerful existences in the world but it was already made clear to her that she was by no means absolute.

'_Will it be enough? Will I be able to protect Ise?'_

She knew that her worrying was unnecessary and that Ise wouldn't simply disappear but there was this fear that he would be taken away she didn't pay attention. There was a battle inside her and unfortunately fear was starting to win.

'_Stop…Calm yourself…'_ She lightly scolded herself. She took a few deep breaths to calm down. Telling herself to calm down had become a habit for her. It had become necessary because she had also formed a habit of worrying incessantly.

'_Just as Great Red had said many times before, your worries are unheeded. You may not be absolute but no other being can oppose your power'_ she turned to her side to look at Ise. He was peacefully sleeping with a small smile on his face. Looking at him had always put her at ease and the smile on his face brought her relief.

'_You can protect him. You have the power to do so'_ she went closer to Ise and pulled him into an embrace; doing her best not to wake him up in the process. It was an inversion of their former relationship. This time she was the one doing the protecting.

"I will protect you Ise" She uttered while closing her eyes.

…

…

…

She slowly opened her eyes rubbing them with her hands realizing that she must have fallen asleep. She didn't intend on sleeping. Sleeping was optional for her. Unlike other beings, sleep was unnecessary and her bodily functions wouldn't suffer from the lack of it. It was even somewhat strange that she would do so while using her vessel.

She could hear that the raging torrent of rain and the strong winds that accompanied it. The drizzle had already turned into a storm just as the weather forecasts have stated. The storm would indicate that an hour or so had past at most and that had bought her a small sense of relief.

'_?!'_

Her sleepiness was completely blown away as the realization sank in. There was no one else in the bed with her. Ise wasn't there. Countless possibilities of what had happened quickly came into mind.

'_Stay composed…' _she reminded herself as she got out of the bed.

'_There are many explanations for his sudden disappearance' _it had already been an hour so Ise must have already woken up and left the bed without her knowledge. He could have wanted to use the comfort room or had gotten something to eat.

'_But… What is with this unease?'_ her instincts were telling her something was wrong. Fear was slowly setting in and her unease grew by the second. She looked around the room trying to see if there were any signs of unlawful entry or even if anything was misplaced but nothing had been touched.

It was only now she had noticed that the house was far too silent and dark. Despite only using a vessel as proxy her senses were still superior than most and if she concentrated she would be able to hear any sound made inside their small house or detect the presence of an intruder.

What distressed her was the fact that the only sound she could hear was the storm outside and nothing else. She concentrated but even then she couldn't detect any presence, not a single one.

That told her that something was wrong. Everyone in the Hyoudou family was supposed to be home due to the storm and unless they had suddenly become able to hide their presence like seasoned assassins then she should be able to sense them.

The realization that something had gone wrong made her break into a run.

"Ise?" She called out as she hurried outside their room, deciding to look for him. She was hoping that she was wrong, that her senses were just somehow being skewed by the storm, that everything was perfectly fine and that she would find Ise without trouble.

"Ise? Where—"She went down the stairs quickly and got a glimpse of Ise about to leave the house. Her voice should have been loud enough to be heard yet she was ignored. When Ise reached the door however he had turned his head slightly as if to look at her.

A shiver went down her spine at that action. She couldn't understand it. She couldn't comprehend why she felt frightened, why she was trembling in fear. Her instincts were screaming out to her to not allow him to go further or else she was going to lose him.

"Ise!" She called out to him once again in an attempt to stop him but to no avail. Ise had already walked out of the house. She promptly gave chase but Ise had already gotten far despite the fact that he was merely walking.

She deployed her wings in and took flight to reach him but the Ise seemed to only get farther. The strong rain hampered her pursuit and made flying difficult and taxing and she started to lose sight of Ise.

"ISE!" She shouted in desperation. To her relief, Ise had stopped moving and she was able to finally reach him. She landed a bit farther from his position. She turned around while retracting her wings and quickly approached Ise. He was strangely silent and unmoving. That did nothing but feed her worries.

"Ise… why—"She asked but her question was left unfinished when she finally had a clear view of him.

_**This is your fault **_

There was blood. A lot of it. His clothes were shredded and torn. His right arm was absent and from the looks of it, it was literally torn apart from his body. Some parts of his muscles were in plain sights showing that parts of his skin were forcibly removed.

_**You couldn't protect him**_

Shock was probably what she and experienced when she saw his body. She was trembling. She was completely frozen in place at the sight of Ise's current condition. The only thing she could do was bring her gaze up to look at his face.

It was an action she regretted.

There were large cuts across his face. The skin on his right cheek, along with the muscles, was absent revealing only the bone. Blood covered the majority of his face and his hair. The most unsettling part however was his eyes… or the lack of it. The sockets that usually held the eyes were empty. There was nothing inside it. Nothing.

_**Even with all your power, you still failed **_

"I-Ise…" She was able to let out. Her voice was weak and shaky. She attempted to approach but it took an extreme amount of effort to simply take a step towards him. Her body felt weak, her limbs felt numb. She felt that she could collapse at any moment. Her mind was blank, not being able to process what she was seeing, not even able to believe it.

_**You have no right to touch him **_

After what seemed to be eternity she was able to come close to him. It was at the moment that she was going to reach for Ise that she suddenly heard a sound.

The next thing she saw was more blood and that a hand had ripped right through Ise's chest. She wanted to move but her body wouldn't listen to her, the only thing she could do was helplessly look at the perpetrator of the act.

_**There is no one to blame but yourself **_

The perpetrator removed his hand and held Ise by the head raising it up as he looked at down her with a sickeningly sweet smile.

As the perpetrator stared at her, the smile turned into a large manic grin as he slowly tightened his grip on Ise's head, showing that he fully intended to crush it with his hands alone.

_**You are not absolute**_

"ISE!"

**=={TDoI}==**

Ophis woke up with a start. Her whole body was still trembling and her dress had become damp from tears. She immediately stood up to look at her surroundings trying to find Ise.

"ISE!" She shouted out deploying her wings preparing to take flight.

**[OPHIS!] **

A loud roar snapped her out from her delirium. She looked around and saw the sky of mixed iridescent colours and the red ground she was currently standing on. She could feel a gentle wind blowing on her face. It was only then that she realized where she was.

**[Calm down. He is safe]**

"I-Ise… Ise is safe?" She questioned, her voice weak, afraid of what answer she would hear from the red dragon.

**[Yes he is. The boy is peacefully sleeping in bed with your vessel, dreaming of oppai]**

"… safe… Ise is safe… he is safe" She continually repeated to herself. She took several deep breaths and wiped the tears on her face with her hands. Great Red simply waited for her to calm down before it spoke again.

**[You experienced another nightmare. This was one was a bit more extreme than the others you've had] **it stated. Great Red was flying more slowly than usual, avoiding sudden movement or performing any tricks.

"Ise was…" After a moment of silence she tried to speak but was unable to finish as images of her nightmare had come to mind once again. She bit her lip and held herself tightly, repeating to herself that Ise was safe.

She sat down and wrapped her arms around her knees her body still trembling.

**[I know… I had seen it as well. Take some more time to calm yourself] **the usually gruff way of communicating was absent. His words were as gentle as a parent caring for their child that had just experienced a night terror.

It took a few more moments before Ophis had stopped trembling. Several minutes pass but she stayed in position not uttering a single word so Great Red decided to speak.

**[These nightmares you've been having are becoming more frequent and extreme] **

Ophis offered no response to his statement, simply stating in her current position.

**[He is safe and he will remain as such]**

Ophis still did not offer a response.

**[I have told you many times that your worries are unfounded. Can you honestly call yourself a dragon god if you are like this?]**

"… I am not absolute" Were the only words she spoke in reply not moving from her position.

Great Red waited for any other response but Ophis had stayed silent. Feeling that a conversation would provide even some small relief to her, it decided on a course of action.

Channeling its slight annoyance over Ophis' current attitude Great Red decided to speed up its flight and perform a sudden double barrel roll. Ophis who was caught unprepared was thrown off balance.

"…Doing such things again" Ophis uttered with indignation.

**[Heh… So are you finally willing to talk Ouroboros?] **The gentle way of speaking Great Red had assumed earlier was replaced with the usual gruff way of speaking and had used the term Ouroboros instead of Ophis. It referred to Ophis by Ouroboros when it was teasing or being playful and only by name when it was being serious.

"You…" She started but settled simply sighed towards the red dragon's antics.

**[Come now you dragon god, keep yourself bottled up and you'll eventually explode. That is if those sweets you keep eating doesn't kill you first!]**

"Sweets cannot kill me…" She muttered. The red dragon had occasionally viewed some of her dreams and decided to poke fun at some of the hobbies and preferences she had developed.

**[Maybe all those games will blind you first then? Heh… a dragon god with bad eyesight… Kukukuku, that would be absolutely hilarious!]**

"Choose your words carefully… though I view you as my friend I will not hesitate use my power against you" She declared while standing up, fully intending to resort to violence if the red dragon continues it's teasing.

**[Oh? Is dragon god-sama pouting? I have to thank that boy for helping you learn to express emotion… seeing you express yourself is great entertainment. You were far too damn boring in the past]**

"Great Red" Ophis called its name with a tone of finality, already gathering energy for an attack but Great Red's next words had stopped her.

**[Hmph… If you can do these kind of things then I guess you're already back to normal]**

Realizing the red dragon's intentions, she breathed out a sigh and she dissipated the energy she gathered and went back to sitting.

Silence once again.

**[I find it strange that you insist on sleeping… We have no need for such a thing in the first place] **Great Red said, feeling that it was the right time to bring the subject up.

"It is… a force of habit" She replied. Even when she was weakened by Samael in the past, sleep was still something she could ignore. She had only adapted it into a habit partly because she had observed everyone doing it. The other reason was because it was an effective way to pass the time while waiting for Ise and the others to awaken.

There was a time when she remained awake and simply stared at Ise until he woke up but Ise had told her that that was extremely disturbing. She found that playing games also tended to disturb the others' sleep so she had learned to adapt and sleep with them herself.

**[Hmph… You have become very much like a human] **

Another comfortable silence followed Great Red's statement. Though the two would converse with each other a lot they were times that they simply revelled in silence.

**[We will protect him] **The sudden statement caught Ophis' attention. She could feel the seriousness in the red dragon's words. Great Red had always been neutral towards Ise only expressing a mild interest in him despite possessing the memory of it's other world counterpart.

**[I've grown fond of that perverted boy… No, I guess it's better to say that I've always been fond of him but I only realized now why] **Great Red continued drawing Ophis' full attention.

**[The memories that I obtained from the other world version of myself were pretty damn short… but I can't help but feel excited every time I recall it]**

She could relate to it. The dreams and memories were enjoyable because they allowed the recipient to feel the current emotions of their versions in the dream. It was something that Ise experienced as well.

**[Kukuku… It was short but it was probably the most fun thing I've done. Seeing the stuff he does in his dreams is pretty damn enjoyable as well]**

That statement brought a knowing smile on Ophis' face. It was another thing she could greatly relate to.

**[Was it like for you as well Ophis? Was this why you had gone so far to be by his side again?]**

"Yes… I, at first, had only been interested in his growth… However I had found myself charmed by the life I've begun to live beside him" She recalled that she had first approached the Gremory group with the aid of Vali and Azazel in order to observe Ise. She had hoped to find something she could use to defeat Great Red. What she found instead was something far better.

**[Heh… I guess you were right… My desire to meet the boy has grown. That boy… is truly interesting]**

"Enough that you would forsake flying in this world to stay with him as well?" She questioned. It was by all means an attempt at teasing the red dragon but teasing was something she had yet to master. She had yet to learn the proper tone and bodily gestures required to do so. It was something she was studying up on and hope to someday use.

**[Heh… don't get cocky Ouroboros, nothing beats flying. That boy will never be able to make me leave this place just to spend time with him]**

"That is quite the grand boast… however it is fine. You are free to think that. It is only a matter of time"

**[Oh? What makes you so sure?]**

"We are similar beings. I am the 'infinite' born from 'nothingness'. You are the 'dream' born from 'illusions'. We are beings of unmatched power. Just as I had revelled in silence, you have revelled in the feeling of flight…" She made a short pause so as to emphasize her next words.

"… And just as I had chosen him over silence, you will also choose him over the feeling of flight"

Ophis waited for any response or rebuttal from the red dragon but none came.

**[…Hmph]**

The red dragon was unable to form a reply to Ophis' assertions. Though one could take it as an act of stubborn defiance, Ophis took is an act of compliance towards her logic. Another bout of silence occurred.

**[Will you continue your sleep?] **Great Red asked, in what could be taken as a subtle attempt at changing the conversation by bringing up their former topic.

"Yes… I find myself restless if I were to ignore it now…"She replied, understanding where the conversation was leading to.

**[I see… Then pleasant dreams Ophis] **

Though such words were ordinary, it takes on new meaning when uttered by the dragon that represented dreams itself. Ophis was able to understand what those words implied and decided to go back to her slumber knowing well that she wouldn't experience another nightmare.

Though usually she slept on the same spot on Great Red's back (A spot she has already claimed to be her territory, one she marked with a small black flag), she instead brought out her wings and flew towards Great Red's head. She was able to reach her destination easily since Great Red had been flying slowly.

She landed on top of Great Red's head and made herself comfortable, she then proceeded to lie down and resume her sleep. Great Red on the other hand, simply allowed the action and slowed it's flight even more and made sure not to move its head excessively to make sure Ophis' slumber wasn't disturbed.

**[Heh… Despite the amount of time you've lived, you still look like a kid when you do this] **

Ophis was already fast asleep and it knew that no reply would come. It was something he could sense. Ophis sleeping on it's head wasn't actually new to either of them. She had first started to do it when she had experienced her first nightmare and had begun to do it every time she had one. Great Red would also make sure that when she goes back to sleep, her dream would be pleasant.

Great Red could easily realize or actualize anyone's dreams; making someone see a specific dream or prevent a nightmare from occurring was an easy task in comparison, one that took little to no effort.

**[For you to worry so much to a point that you have nightmares… I've seen so many changes in you yet I'm still left surprised at times]**

The nightmares weren't recent. At first she would have it on occasion but it had become more frequent recently. Though Great Red had thought it was due to excessive worrying, even it felt that there was something more behind it.

Great Red continued it's flight slightly speeding up.

**[How long has it been since this relationship of ours started? Heh… I always thought you despised me]**

It recalled the time when they had first met. The Ophis of that time was completely blank, emotionless and spoke as little as she could. Even when she was attempting to reclaim the dimensional gap she showed little to no emotion, no anger not even the slightest bit of irritation.

Though back then, she had yet to assume her form as a young girl.

**[Yet one day you returned, different from what I had remembered]**

When Ophis returned, she had already taken the form of a young black haired girl. The amount of words she spoke increased significantly though it still wasn't much, and a trace of emotion could be felt from her expressions and way of speaking. Still a far cry from normal standards but a significant change compared to her former self.

She stayed and after some time she changed even more. Though her expressions were reserved, the emotions behind them were genuine. Though her words were still few, she would speak her mind and converse willingly. Not once had she even attempted to drive Great Red out of the Dimensional Gap.

**[Then somewhere along the line you started riding me while I was flying. Even putting that damn flag on my back…]**

It wasn't sure when that started. Ophis simply started to stay in a certain spot on his back. She would be asleep at most times, allowing herself to dream. They would either converse when she was awake or simply revel in silence.

Eventually Ophis made a vessel, a perfect copy of her physical appearance, which was capable of carrying her consciousness so she could spend time with Ise without attracting unnecessary attention.

**[Tch… You're literally living off my back now…damn freeloading kid] **

It was at that moment that its head shook since Ophis had hit it's head at full power. Great Red was sure she was asleep but apparently she was somehow been able to sense that she was being made fun of and retaliated.

**[Oi! That hurt you damn Ouroboros!]**

Great Red of course was not expecting a reply. He made a gentle turn making sure Ophis was not disturbed.

**[…Enjoy your sleep Ophis… Though I cannot fully alleviate you of your worries, I can at least protect you from your nightmares]**

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

'_It had already been a year…' _ Ise thought to himself as he was sprawled out on the ground in exhaustion. He had just finished his assigned training.

'_My body really, really hurts… Is this what a sack of potatoes feel like?'_ he considered, he remembered having carried one once.

'_Being a hero sure is hard…'_

It was only after going through training that he understood how truly awesome heroes were. If basic training was this difficult then he couldn't even imagine what advanced training was actually would actually be like.

'_I wonder if Iri-chan is also having a hard time…'_

The thought of course caused a certain chestnut haired girl in Europe to sneeze cutely. She was then hit by a wooden sword wielded by a blue haired girl she had managed to befriend and was currently sparring against.

"Uuuuuhhh…. I wonder when we'll do some other kind of training…" He grumbled. Though his training was hellish, it was all focused in improving his physical abilities. He wanted to be able to train with his Sacred Gear very badly.

'_I really have trained hard…'_

He closed his eyes and attempted to look back on the types of training he did in the past year.

**=={Training Montage Start}==**

Flashback 1:

"AHHHHHHHH! OPHIS-CHAN, I'LL DIE! I'LL SERIOUSLY DIIIIEEEEE!"

"_Ise is strong…you will not die"_

"THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME FEEL ANY BETTER!"

"Do not worry… I will not allow Ise to die… I will protect Ise"

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SAY THAT WHEN YOU'RE THE CAUSE!"

"Fight-o, Ise…"

Flashback 2:

"… U-ummm… Ophis-chan why are we just standing here?"

"…"

"O-Ophis-chan why are you raising your hand like that?"

"…"

"O-OPHIS-CHAN?! W-WHAT'S THAT GLOWING BALL IN YOUR HANDS?! WHY ARE THERE SO MANY GLOWING BALLS AROUND US?!"

"… _I believe in Ise… So please… __**dodge**__"_

"WAAAAIIIITT!"

Flashback 3:

"Oppai…"

"_Un… Oppai"_

"Oppai!"

Flashback 4:

"W-WHY ARE THERE SO MANY SNAAAAAKKKEEEES?!"

"_They are friends..."_

"THEN WHY ARE THEY LOOKING AT ME LIKE I'M THEIR FOOD?!"

"_They will not kill Ise"_

"DOESN'T THAT MEAN THEY CAN STILL HURT ME?!"

"_Yes, but it will be fine. Now snakes__**… attack**__"_

Flashback 5:

"IT'S GONNA EAT MEEEEEE! I DON'T WANNA BE EATEEEEN!"

"… _I, had decided to name her Chocolate…"_

"PLEASE TELL CHOCOLATE NOT TO EAT ME!"

"_It is fine… she only… desires to embrace Ise"_

"THEN WHY IS TRYING TO BITE ME?!"

"… she is shy and nervous"

"THAT'S NO REASON TO BITE SOMEONE!"

Flash Back 6:

"HOW IS THAT SNAKE FLYING?! WHY DID IT HAVE TO HAVE WIIINNGGGSS?!"

"_I had used an evolution stone to evolve it…"_

"WHAT KIND OF STONE GIVES WINGS?!"

"… _the flying stone…"_

"CAN EVEE EVOLVE TO A FLYING TYPE NOW?!"

Flashback 7:

"_Zoom zoom iyan~~"_

"Eh?"

"_Zoom zoom iyan~~"_

"E-EH? EEEHHHH?!"

**=={Training Montage End}==**

He felt a shiver run down his spine as he attempted to remember his more unorthodox training but for some reason the only parts he could remember were his desperate shouts and retorts that he made during the training. Any attempt to further remember any details drew a blank and caused him to shiver uncontrollably and sweat profusely.

When your own brain refuses to allow you to recall particular memories, you were definitely better off now knowing. The brain had a tendency to repress memories that may cause mental trauma.

The fact that there were so many parts that he couldn't remember bothered him a lot. He also had this very strange sense of gratitude that he was alive right now.

"I…I-I think it's better not to remember…" Ise wisely stopped the attempt knowing that doing would both be fruitless and would cause unnecessary grief.

After a moment, he closed his eyes and simply enjoyed the refreshing feeling of the wind.

'_The one in my dreams did this a lot too…'_ He recalled the big version of himself in the strange dreams he had. Said dreams had become rather vivid. Conversations, noises and any other sound could now be heard perfectly but the faces had still remained blurred.

'_What did it feel like again? Un… It felt like I really needed to train and get strong no matter what_' It was a trick he used during when he was training. When he was having a hard time or felt like giving up, he would recall the feeling he always got when he saw the bigger version of himself training hard in the dream. Every time he recalled those types of dreams he always felt an extremely strong sense of purpose. He felt the need to persevere regardless of how difficult things got and the need to get as strong as he can. As long as he did that, he was able to get through his hellish training.

"He was really strong…" he muttered, recalling all the battles he had dreamt of.

"…Will I… be able to become that strong someday?" It was something that he had begun asking himself recently. The bigger version of himself in his dreams was strong. He would fight no matter what and was able to defeat the bad guys and save his friends.

That person was able to save other people. That person was cheered by children who admired him. That person was hero. A hero everyone had trusted, believed in, and relied upon.

"What if I… can't do the same things he did?" It was a thought that always bothered him. He admired the bigger version of himself and used him as a point of comparison but the thought that he wouldn't be able to do the same things scared him.

'_What if I can't beat the bad guy? What if I can't save my friends? What if I fail? What… what does Ophis-chan think?' _His thoughts were brought to a certain black haired girl.

Ophis had stayed by his side since they had met a year ago in the park. She had been the one to train him so he could become someone like version he saw of himself in his dreams. She was strict with him when they were training and would make him do downright impossible things fully believing that he would be able to succeed no matter what.

She trusted him implicitly. She believed in him more than anyone else. He felt that she viewed him to be the strongest and most reliable person in the world. Though he felt good about it, there were times when it made him uneasy.

There were times when he thought that he didn't deserve such things from her.

"Ise… What is wrong?" A voice broke him out of his contemplation. He looked towards the direction of the voice and saw the person who was currently the subject of his thoughts.

'_A friend. Someone important and precious. Someone to protect no matter what' _They were the emotions he felt when he saw her. It wasn't only the dreams that suddenly provoked random bouts of strong emotions; sometimes certain places or objects would do the same.

There was another that was park away from the town they had once visited for training. The second he entered the place he felt a strong sense of fear. His stomach, for some reason, felt painful.

Another place was a certain all girl school named "Kuoh Academy". Unlike the park, the school made him feel at ease and happy. There was a sense of belonging with the place and he felt like he wanted to enter it.

Aside from places, some objects also made him feel different. There was one time he found a strange book in his father's closet that had pictures of naked women. He felt a very strong connection with it and was compelled to keep it for himself. He still didn't get why he liked that book but he thought he would find out eventually.

He didn't understand why but the word and image of breasts resonated with him. He felt energized when he thought of it.

"Ise?" Ophis inquired again this time approaching him to check his condition. Ise realized that his thoughts were getting side tracked again and focused on Ophis.

Out of everything she was the one that provoked the most emotions. Her presence felt completely natural like she had been around him for a really long time. There were also those times when she would let out a real smile to him.

He couldn't explain or put into words how happy he would always feel when he saw that. There was also a strange sense of pride that accompanied it.

He wanted to continue his thought process but a sudden soft feeling on his lips broke him out of it.

"Ise… It is time to go back home" Ophis said after kissing him. She gave him a small smile. Ise had gotten used to it because she had the tendency to do that whenever she got the chance.

'_Ah… There it is again… I feel so happy when she smiles like that' _ It was that feeling he got that made him want to make Ophis smile as much as she could.

"A-ah… gomen… let's go home Ophis-chan" He forced his still tired body up. Though he had a good amount of time to rest, he still felt exhausted. He somehow managed to get up and start walking towards their house.

"Un… Let us go home" Ophis replied, following him.

'_Ah… I should ask Ophis-chan when we can train my Say-kred Ge-ah. I really wanna learn how to use it. Irina probably already knows how to fight with a sword right now!'_

At that moment, a certain chestnut girl had once again cutely sneezed, this time on the food that she and her blue haired friend were going to eat. The glare she received afterwards from her friend scared her.

"Ophis-chan, when are we going to train my Say-kred Ge-ah?" Ise asked turning around to look at Ophis only to realize that she wasn't there.

"Eh?" He looked around and saw that she her unmoving. She was staring at a random direction with a very serious face.

"O-Ophis-chan? What's wrong?" He called out her name again, trying to get her attention. He stuttered a bit since he was a bit shocked at Ophis' expression. It wasn't one he was used to seeing.

"Ah… yes, my apologies. It is nothing. Let us go home" Ophis said as she ran towards him assuming a neutral expression.

'_I wonder why Ophis-chan looked like that…'_ he was honestly curious but decided not to ask. Something was telling him that he wouldn't get an answer anyway.

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

'_What had I felt back there?'_ Ophis contemplated. She and Ise had returned home and were currently eating together with Mr. and Mrs. Hyoudou on the dinner table.

'_I could not detect any presence… nor could I feel anyone observing us yet…'_ Back at the place they had trained, she had felt something. It was brief and the feeling had disappeared immediately.

'… _I must discuss this with Great Red… It may be nothing however it would be foolish to be careless' _

"Ophis-chan? Don't you like the food?" Mrs. Hyoudou asked slightly worried since Ophis had not touched her food since she they had begun eating.

"Ah… I was distracted by my thoughts" She then took a bite and proceeded to smile at Mrs. Hyoudou. "It is delicious" she praised.

"Hahaha, come now honey, there's no way anyone would hate your cooking!" Mr. Hyoudou shamelessly praised his wife's cooking, causing his wife to blush slightly and give him a playful punch on the shoulder.

"Kaa-san, seconds!" Ise asked while his mother quickly gave him a second serving. He kept glancing at Ophis, obviously worried about her strange actions.

**=={TDoI}==**

Dinner ended and after cleaning up, Ise and Ophis had gone directly to their room.

"Ophis-chan? What's wrong?" Ise asked with a worried face. Ophis had noticed that he had been taking peeks at her ever since they got home.

'_I am causing him to worry. Should I tell Ise?'_

"…" She gave Ise a look somewhat conflicted whether to share her troubles. She proceeded to close her eyes.

'_Ise had protected and cared for me in past… It should be my responsibility this time to do the same towards him'_

"Ophis-chan? Hello?"

'_However… my current worries may simply be an illusion. Telling him would most likely only give him unnecessary worries'_

"Oooophis-chaaan"

'_Un… It would be the wisest course of action to keep it to myself for now. Great Red should be able to provide some advice on the matter at hand'_

"…"

'_Yes… Right now I need—'_

To her surprise she felt a sensation on her lips. The sensation only lasted for a moment.

When she recovered from the slight shock she realized that Ise had kissed her. Though she had done the same countless times before, it had been the first time the action was performed on her.

She had long ago observed that it was an important gesture of affection. One used to express one's emotions towards a person whom they find precious. Ise was a special existence to her. She felt a strong need to beside him at all times. She kissed him to express that fact and though she had always find doing so enjoyable, being kissed by Ise felt entirely different.

'_What… is this feeling…?'_ She felt her face heating up and her heart beating faster than normal. There was also a strange unidentifiable feeling in her stomach.

"Hah! I finally got Ophis-chan to notice me!" Ise, being a young boy who have yet to experience the complications brought about by hormones, had not thought too deeply on the implications of his actions nor its effect on Ophis.

"Hmmm….? Eh, Ophis-chan, are you sick? Your face is red…" Ise, again being a young boy who had no idea what effect his actions may have, brought his face close to Ophis and touched foreheads with her in order to check her temperature.

"A-Ah…" The dragon god on the other hand had somehow become even redder from Ise's actions.

'_This feeling… could it be what they would call embarrassment?' _ She mused. She was able to analyse situations like these calmly despite her apparent embarrassment. There were many emotions she had yet to experience and she wanted to make sure she understood each of them.

"I-I am… fine. I… was just distracted by my thoughts…" She managed to say causing Ise to retreat his face back to a normal distance. She was having some difficulty looking at Ise for some reason so she opted to stare at the ground for the time being.

"Ah, well maybe Ophis-chan is tired too… Well I wanted to ask whether we'll train my Say-kred Ge-ah soon" Ise asked deciding that asking Ophis about training would be better than asking why she was acting strange.

"Ah… We will engage in Sacred Gear training tomorrow." Ophis replied.

"Really?! YES! Okay, let's go to sleep!" Ise shouted out in glee immediately climbing into bed.

"…Yes… Let us… go to sleep" It took her a few more moments before she was able to properly compose herself.

'_Such a strange feeling… It is confusing and causes me complications yet…. It is not undesirable'_ Ophis thought to herself as she went to bed with Ise.

"Good night Ophis-chan"

"Goodnight Ise"

As she closed her eyes, she prepared to transfer her consciousness to her main body in the dimensional gap in order to speak to Great Red.

The Dimensional Gap would later be filled with guffaws as a certain red dragon would laugh and tease a certain black haired girl about her newly acquired concerns.

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

**=={Unknown Location}==**

His eyes open and he slowly got up from his bed. He had once again seen the same dream he had had for the past year. Similar to every other instance, he could feel himself getting extremely angry and irritated at the mere recollection of the dream.

Unlike in the past however he did not allow the rage to overtake him. He controlled himself, keeping calm and allowed his anger to pass.

'_The dream had become clearer' _He noted to himself. He noticed that that particular dream he was having became more detailed as he saw it more. When he was able to control himself better, he had started to willingly invoke the dream to appear so as to reveal more details about it.

'_It had taken time and an unnecessary amount of effort however I now have what I need' _The dream he had moments ago was significantly longer and more detailed than the others before it. The voices could be heard clearly, every word spoken could be understood and the most important detail of all was revealed.

'_I can finally clearly see the trash's face' _It was his goal since he had started having the dreams. Most of the parts he could see at first had the face of his killer covered in a helmet and even when he reached a point where the helmet was removed, the face was a blur but now he was able to see it clearly.

The boy that had fought him has short brown hair light brown eyes. He could even clearly remember the contours of his face.

What's more is that he was without a doubt the wielder of the boosted gear. The Sekiryuutei.

'_Now… If the dream is indeed an oracle of the future then the boy may not even born yet…' _It was the last detail he needed. There was no clue to provide at what time his dream where to occur only that it would eventually take place. Devils can live for several thousands of years and his dream may take place soon or in the distant future.

"Hmph… Well, I have more than enough clues to locate the trash if he were already alive…"

"Furthermore… There are other methods I could use to determine his existence"

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

**=={Devil Halcyon Days 4}==**

He opened his eyes slowly. He felt light-headed.

'_Huh? Where…'_

His consciousness was a bit hazy and his body felt strangely light.

'_Where am I? … How did I even get here?'_

He brought up his hands and rubbed his eyes. He blinked a few more times before he was able to make sense of his surroundings.

He was currently sitting in a comfortable chair. The surroundings were dark but a glare of light brought his attention to a large screen which was currently playing a credit reel.

'… _a movie theatre?' _He thought, trying his best to identify his current whereabouts. He brought his hands to the back of his head touching a sore spot causing him to wince in pain.

'_Gahhh… it feels like something hit the back of my head'_ He spent a few more second rubbing the sore spot on his head before deciding to analyse the situation.

'…_okay, I feel really weird for some reason. My body feels lighter though my head feels like its being weighed down by something… My lowed body feels a lot less restricted than before… there's this painful spot on the back of my head and I really can't remember what happened before this…' _

He tried hard to recall the events prior to the current one but drew a blank. He gave up and decided to just leave the movie theatre for now to see where he actually was.

He couldn't help but feel a several uncomfortable gazes on him.

**=={TDoI}==**

He got out of the theatre and did a stretched his body a bit. He looked around and determined his exact location.

"So right now I'm in the usual shopping mall… It's… 12 pm right now and I'm pretty sure it's still the same day" He noted, relieved that he wasn't out for a long amount of time. His friends excessively worried about him and any time he was gone for more than half a day without anyone knowing, search parties were sent out.

There was one time where he slept over at Motohama's place and forgot to inform anyone. When he woke up there were already posters of him on every wall and post in town, a missing persons report on every news station was being reported and hordes of familiars in town were trying to find him.

When he got back home he was tackle glomped by every single one of the girls who had been crying their eyes out scolding him for not telling anyone where he was. It was an even more tearful reunion compared to his return from the dimensional gap with Great Red.

Yes, a tearful reunion ensued despite the fact that he was gone for less than 12 hours.

'_I think that they worry a bit too much for me sometimes…' _He smiled wryly while recalling the whole fiasco. Since then he made sure to always inform someone of where he was no matter what to avoid unnecessary things from happening. He liked the fact that they worried so much about him there were those few times that he felt that it was a bit too excessive.

"Ah well let's get back to making sense of what's happening" Noticing that he was going off on a tangent he brought his focus back to analysing his current situation.

"Nothing seems off and I can't detect any dangerous presences" He continued, looking around the place and eventually reaching the food court.

The malls food court was lined up with high end shops. Looking around he saw a crowd of people a certain table cheering loudly for someone.

He took a look at who they were cheering for and saw a familiar black haired girl wearing a black sailor uniform with a pink cardigan consuming an abhorrently large amount of sweets and confections faster than the speed of light. He couldn't even follow the girl's hand movements; he could only see a blur.

'_Ah… Guess that proves it's still Sunday today' _He concluded. The dragon god and former leader of a terrorist group liked to visit the food court every Sunday to clear out the mall's stock of sweets and confections. It was totally ordinary and commonplace for the residents of the town.

He walked around some more and by chance he passed by a mirror and caught a glimpse of his reflection.

He froze on the spot.

'_Calm down Hyoudou Issei'_ He immediately told himself. One thing he learned is that the first and foremost thing one should do when dealt with unexpected and undesirable situations was to remain calm and not panic.

'_You were probably just seeing things… Yup, no way what you saw was real'_ He quickly went into denial. Though he could go back and look at the mirror to confirm, he was sure a certain part of his mind would break if what he saw was true.

'_B-but I have been feeling really off since I woke up and it would explain a lot of things…'_ He argued to himself. What he saw provided a perfectly logical explanation for the strange sensations he'd been experiencing.

After a few more seconds of debating with himself; he finally decided to go back and see his reflection.

'…_You can do this Ise… no matter what you see in that mirror, you will be able to take it calmly and you will definitely not panic'_

Steeling himself and conditioning his mind, he went in front of the mirror and studied his reflection.

"Ahahaha… Jeez what was I worried about? It's just a perfectly normal reflection of a cute brown haired girl"

He paused. He felt that there was something slightly off with what he just said so he decided to repeat it.

"Ahahaha… J-Jeez… w-what was I worried about? It's just a perfectly normal reflection of a cute… b-brown haired… girl…"

His made another pause. He closed his eyes for a few seconds and once again looked at his reflection desperately hoping that his eyes were just playing tricks on him.

Unfortunately what he saw didn't change. In the mirror he could clearly see a girl with unkempt shoulder length brown hair and light brown eyes. She was wearing a black form fitting sweater and a red filly skirt. She was also wearing black knee-length socks and doll shoes. He was also wearing a bracelet with weird engravings on his left wrist.

"…." Ise simply stood there in absolute silence. If someone were to say that Hyoudou Issei was a calm and collected individual that was able to take unexpected situations in stride they wouldn't exactly be wrong.

On the other hand, they're not the ones who had just suddenly been turned into a girl so Ise's subsequent reaction isn't really strange.

"KYAAAAAAHHHH!"

A cute girlish scream resounded in the mall.

**=={TDoI}==**

It took several minutes, many deep breaths, and several helpful strangers within proximity before Ise managed to calm down and recover from the shock.

"Okay… let's review the situation" He talked to himself, trying to make sense of everything. He was currently sitting in one of the benches that a concerned passer-by had helped bring him to. Said passer-by was male and he took every bit of mental ability he had to ignore the blush on said males face.

"Right now… I've been… turned into a girl…" He finished, slowly digesting each word he spoke.

It explained a lot of things when he thought about it. His head felt weighed down because of his longer hair, his lower body felt less restricted due to wearing skirt instead of jeans, and his balance was off due to his newly acquired assets.

They were C-cups he noted. He some weird sense of pride for having that size but he promptly ignored the feeling as soon as it appeared.

"So… How the hell did this even happen?!" He shouted out grabbing his head with both of his hands trying to dedicate all of his mental faculties into remembering what happened this morning.

"I went through the usual morning with the others and then Azazel-sensei called me to—"

He felt very, _very_ stupid right now. The fact that he was now female should have told him who the perpetrator was in the first place.

"Of course… OF COURSE IT WAS HIM!" He abruptly stood up and broke into a run, fully intending to find and kill a certain fallen angel for the amount of trouble he had been causing him lately.

Now, anyone who has ever read a manga or light novel or watched an anime whose genre was romantic comedy (romcom as they are often called) would have seen the next set of events that Ise would undergo coming from a light year away.

So with the guidance of the ever so lovable romcom gods, Ise, who had not been paying attention to his surroundings, managed to bump into someone while he was running. The collision caused him to fall down on his butt on the floor due to his lighter body.

Said person could have been a totally random stranger who would have simply helped him up and be on his way but the romcom gods would have none of that and made sure that it was in fact someone Ise knew.

"Oh shit! My hamburger… Hey you—"As the person who Ise had bumped into was just about to let out his anger, his face and demeanour suddenly changed as he saw who bumped into him.

His demeanour suddenly made a complete 180.

Fixing his appearance quickly and putting on the best smile he could show, he politely reached out his hand to help the cute girl (Ise) in front of him and made sure to introduce himself properly.

"I deeply apologize… it seems I wasn't paying attention and had caused you some trouble. I insist that you allow me treat you to something for the inconvenience I had caused you" He stated in a perfectly polite and formal way as he helped the girl(Ise) in front of him up.

"By the way, my name is Raiser Phenex. What would be yours my fair lady?"

If anyone were capable of reading minds within the vicinity, they would hear an internal scream from Ise.

…

…

…

Ise had found himself in _another_ peculiar situation.

'… _This type of stuff had been happening way to much recently…'_ A certain event that involved Vali, Kiba and Ophis came to mind. He felt the need to apologize to Kiba now that he could relatively understand the feeling of having your gender changed without warning.

"Hyouri-chan, what would you like to have? I recommend that you try the hamburgers here, you could try every other hamburger in the world and they would still pale in comparison to the quality of the burgers here" Raiser said his smile never leaving his face.

'_I get a strong urge to puke every time I hear Raiser say my name like that. Why does he say so damn sweetly like I'm his love or something?!'_

Hyouri, as he was now called, was a name he came up with on the spot. He didn't immediately recognize who he had the (mis)fortune of bumping into so he had intended to say his name however when he saw that it was Raiser he quickly changed what he was saying due to panicking.

There was a small part of him that was telling him that telling Raiser his actual identity and explained the situation clearly would most likely prevent him from experiencing further problems and grievances however said part was weak and remained unheeded.

'_I… I just need to somehow get through this, get back home, track down Azazel-sensei and kill him…'_

"Don't be shy, I consider that amount of money needed to be spent here as cheap change so don't hold back in ordering" Raiser subtly boasted.

'_Come on Ise… tap into your inner maiden and reply naturally!' _He noticed that there was something wrong with that statement but he had no time to ponder on it.

"T-Then I would like a burger then R-Raiser…-san" Ise managed to reply successfully changing his way of speaking to that of a female. He was having a difficult time due to the fact that he was trying to pass himself off as a normal teenage girl.

He never really thought there would come a day when he would have to do such a thing.

"A hamburger it is then! Come on Hyouri-chan, sit here and wait for me while I get our food, okay?" Raiser grabbed his hand naturally and brought to a table. He pulled out the seat and allowed Ise to sit.

'_Must ignore urge to punch the yakitori… Must not punch the yakitori'_

Ise repeated inside his mind. It took a lot of effort not to punch Raiser when his hand was grabbed. Raiser then left him and approached the counter to make their orders.

'_Can't he recognize me by my aura or something?'_ It was something he had been wondering about for a while now. His appearance may have changed greatly but others should still be able to sense his aura. The aura of the Sekiryuutei was quite unique and noticeable.

'_Now that I think about it, Draig hasn't said a thing since I woke up… is it… caused by the bracelet?' _He looked at the strange bracelet on his left were strange engravings on it. He could vaguely remember that he saw something similar from his visit in the Grigori Institute.

'_It probably conceals or masks my aura… damnit Azazel-sensei why do you have to be so thorough when it comes to these kinds of things?!'_

After a few minutes Raiser returned to their table with a tray of burgers, fries and drinks. He sat down and handed Ise his share of the food.

"Hyouri-chan, I didn't know whether you were able to drink carbonated drinks so I had taken the liberty of ordering some pineapple juice instead" Raiser said as he handed Ise the drink. Ise made sure to not allow their hands to brush against each other.

'_I will not allow any cliche eroge situations to happen no matter what!'_

"T-That's very considerate of you… T-thank you" Ise replied with a slight stutter. His stutter was caused by his difficulty in pretending to be female, Raiser on the other hand, apparently thought he was just being shy and found it endearing.

"Haha, you're very cute Hyouri-chan~" He said with a sickeningly sweet smile. Though some other female would have found Raisers gentlemanly attitude and flattery desirable, Ise felt differently.

'_Disgusting! Super disgusting! What the hell is up with Raiser?! Why the heck is he acting like a gentleman?!'_ were Ise's true feelings. The usual Raiser Phenex had a bad boy image, though he was in actuality kind and caring to a certain extent, such attributes were usually overshadowed by his arrogance and rudeness.

Right now however, Raiser was acting like the perfect gentleman and that bothered Ise to no end.

'_Is this how he gathered his harem?! This damn yakitori bastard!'_ Ise shouted in his mind.

"T-thank you Raiser-san… " despite his feelings however, Ise ate his food quietly, doing his best to get through the current situation. Raiser continued to converse with him about various topics all the while subtly inserting praises and taking every opportunity to engage in physical contact with him.

'_Damnit! I need to find a way out of here! This damn perverted yakitori! He keeps touching me!' _ Ise was already gritting his teeth; doing everything he could not to just punch the hell out of Raiser and make a run for it.

It took a several more minutes of endurance but by the grace of the yondai maou he was able to get through the situation and quickly tried to make an escape.

'_Thank you… Thank you maou-sama!'_ If Sirzechs Lucifer was here, he would probably hug him in relief and gratitude.

"Raiser-san… Thank you for treating me but I really have somewhere I need to get to" finding a perfect opportunity to escape, Ise stood up and attempted to leave but Raiser seemed intent on staying with him.

"Is that so? Well allow me to escort you then. It would be unbecoming of me to simply allow a beautiful girl such as yourself to be without company." Raiser stood up as well and walked with him out of the establishment. Ise on the other hand, was trying very hard not to gag and puke from that last line.

'_Damnit! I hate persistent men!'_ He knew what that particular thought made him sound like but he really couldn't be bothered to care at this point.

"I-It's really alright Raiser-san I wouldn't want to trouble you anymore than I already have" Ise tried, wishing to every being in the world that Raiser would just take a hint and leave him be. He was slowly backing away from Raiser.

"Oh no, I insist. It is no trouble at all" Unfortunately it seemed Raiser was not one to be able to take hints and simply approached him as he was backing away.

'_I need to find something… anything to use so I can escape…'_

It was at this moment that the gods of romcom decided to cut him some slack. Hence, as he was backing away from Raiser her manage to bump into _another_ acquaintance.

"O-oh, I apologize… I wasn't looking" Ise made a quick apology thinking that he might be able to make use of the current situation.

'_If I play my cards right, I might be able to use this'_ and with that, Ise tapped into his inner maiden and assumed the cutest and most helpless look he could to get the person's help.

"No it's completely fine" The person he bumped into then turned around. It was a familiar face indeed.

"Yuuto Kiba?" Raiser uttered, seemingly displeased with seeing the blonde knight of the Gremory.

"Raiser Phenex?" Kiba replied, his eyes widening in surprise.

'_My prince charming is here!'_

Ise paused to consider what he just said in his mind. He then proceeded to pretend that he never had that thought. No one in the world could ever convince him that he had ever thought that Kiba was his prince charming even if his life was threatened. **No one. Ever.**

**=={TDoI}==**

Kiba had a very good ability to sense the mood of a situation. It was something he developed in order to make sure that he was nowhere in the room when the female members of the Gremory group were going to do something for his friend Ise. It helped him avoid many awkward situations.

Another ability he possessed was the ability to tell one's current state of mind and their emotions from their facial expressions and right now, he could clearly see that the brown haired girl that had bumped into him was troubled by Raiser's presence.

Though he wasn't one to interfere into another person's business he had this rather strong urge to give aid to the brown haired girl that he had just met. He didn't understand it himself but he felt like it was his duty to help the girl in question.

"Hyouri-chan, come on now, let me escort you to your destination" Kiba noted how different Raiser was acting towards the girl whose name he had just learned. The helpless and troubled look Hyouri had did not escape him.

'_She's greatly troubled… I need to do something' _With such thoughts, Kiba stepped forward and took action.

"Ah… Hyouri-san! I had been looking for you. You weren't there in the designated meeting place so I had become worried" Kiba stated hoping that Hyouri would play along. The relieved and hopeful look the girl gave him made him somewhat embarrassed.

'_She's very cute…'_

"Ah Kiba-kun! I'm sorry, I got lost on the way. Raiser-san over here had also treated me to some food… I apologize for making you wait" Hyouri(Ise), who had finally seen a light at the end of the hellish tunnel he had found himself in, played along with Kiba's acting flawlessly.

"Raiser-san thank you for all you help. I'll just have Kiba-kun over here escort me to my destination" Hyouri(Ise), gave Raiser a small smile and quickly ran as fast as he could while pulling Kiba along by the wrist.

"W-wait! Hyouri-chan!" Kiba heard Raiser call to them but they quickly took several turns. Kiba simply allowed himself to be pulled along.

"Haaah….haaah…. Thanks Kiba, I thought I'd never be able to make that guy leave" Kiba noted how Hyouri(Ise)'s way of speaking had suddenly changed. It became more casual and somehow felt familiar to him.

They approached a stall nearby where Hyouri(Ise) bought a drink to cool down.

'… _Had I met her before?'_ He considered and tried to recall whether they had met. He was quite sure he would remember someone like her. Hyouri also felt very familiar to him for some reason.

"Hyouri-san… have we met before?" Not being able to recall, Kiba decided to simply ask. The questioned caused Hyouri(Ise) to pause.

"A-ah… no... I-I apologize for what I just did… I couldn't get Raiser-san to leave me alone" Hyouri(Ise) replied once again assuming her more formal and polite way of speaking. She took sips fomr her drink every now and then.

"No, it was no trouble, I'm glad I was able to help. Raiser Phenex can be a bit troublesome after all" Kiba let out a comforting smile fully understanding what she was going through. He could still recall the whole marriage thing with Raiser and his master Rias.

"Well thanks again… I need to get going now" Hyouri(Ise) decided to take her leave and began walking away.

'_Ah… I wanted to talk with her some more…' _Kiba felt a strange urge to stay with his new acquaintance. Before he knew it he had already tried to follow but had somehow tripped over nothing and knocked into Hyouri(Ise).

The drink Hyouri(Ise) was holding spilled onto he, soaking her clothes. The look of shock and irritation on her face made Kiba feel guilty.

He then took the only course of action he could, not knowing that he was only increasing Hyouri(Ise)'s troubles.

"I-I apologize! Please let me replace your clothes!" Kiba offered and Hyouri(Ise) had only sighed as if he had given up on life.

…

…

…

'_Stupid! Stupid stupid stupid!' _Ise was now mentally berating himself.

'_Why didn't I just refuse and went away?!'_

They were currently in a high end clothing store that sold women apparel. Kiba had gone to find clothing similar to what he was wearing while he was inside one of the changing booths waiting. He tried telling Kiba that anything was fine but the blonde knight insisted on getting something similar to what he was wearing.

'_Damnit… He just looked so guilty… and it felt like I would hurt his feelings if I refused so I ended up accepting…_'

Unlike Raiser who he could hate for having clear ulterior motives. Kiba had genuinely tried to make amends for an accident he caused so he had a harder time refusing. Ise was relatively sure he could have refused outright if he was normal but he was certain that his current state of gender had something to do with it.

'_I guess the only relieving thing here is that my underwear wasn't soaked to' _It should be noted that the gender swapping ray gun did not only change the outward form of its target but its mentality as well.

'_Curse you my maiden heart! Why do you make things unnecessarily hard for me?! I swear to maou-sama that when I get my hands on Azazel-sensei—' _Before he could describe his plans of the unspeakable torture he would inflict upon his fallen angel teacher however, he heard Kiba call him.

"Hyorui-san? I've found clothing similar to yours, I will hand them to you now so please see if the size is correct." He heard Kiba say from the other side of the curtain. He was currently in nothing but underwear (female underwear to note) so he made to use the curtain to cover his body while he took the clothes that Kiba handed him.

"Okay, thank you… please give me a sec" Ise replied and proceeded to try on the clothes. He had a hard time due to his current body. He found that the top was particularly tight but he still stubbornly tried to force himself to wear it.

'_This is… too tight… No choice, though I want to get out of here fast this won't do. I'll just get Kiba to get a larger one'_

After a few seconds he finally gave up and decided to just take it off again and ask Kiba to get something bigger.

"KYAAAH!" As he was removing it however he lost his balance and almost fell over.

"Hyouri-san?!" Kiba, who was patiently waiting on the other side of the curtain, heard her girlish scream and decided to take a look to see if he was alright.

"W-Wait! Don't come in!" Ise protested and tried to stop him reaching out for the curtain as Kiba tried to open it.

What happened next was obvious.

Kiba who was faster had opened the curtain before Ise could reach for it. Ise who had essentially made a jump for said curtain had crashed into Kiba causing both of them to fall onto the floor.

As both of them tried to get up from their current position they heard a sound of several bags falling on the floor.

'_Please… please don't tell me it's someone we know…'_ Despite Ise's fervent wishes however, he realized who it was when he looked.

It was the vice president of the student. The ever so strict and serious girl with glasses, Shinra Tsubaki.

To those who are unaware, Shinra Tsubaki had a major crush on Yuuto Kiba. It would also explain why she currently had dull and lifeless eyes as she stared at the two of them.

Ise considered what they might have looked like in the perspective of another person.

They were on the ground. He was a half-naked female currently straddling a handsome blonde male who was holding several articles of clothing.

'_This is a date between a young couple no matter how the heck you look at it!' _He concluded. Ise had honestly thought that the situation could not possibly get any worse than it is.

The universe being the troll that it is, accepted his challenge.

"Hyouri-chan! I've—" Raiser suddenly appeared out of nowhere only to see the same scene. One could see that he was processing and digesting the scene in front of him.

He then came to a conclusion.

"Y-Yuuto Kiba you tasteless fool! Why would you choose such crude underwear for Hyouri-chan?! Someone as cute as her deserves better! Hyouri-chan wait for me! I, Raiser Phenex, will choose the best underwear for you!" Raiser declared with passion as he went to the conveniently placed underwear section near them.

Ise facepalmed. Kiba stayed silent, blushing profusely. Tsubaki stayed frozen on the spot with cold, dull, and lifeless eyes.

'_I swear I'll destroy that damn gun' _Ise swore to himself.

**==The Dream of the Infinite=========================================================**

A/N: That concludes this chapter. Hopefully I was able to pull that off.

Have you noticed how Ophis' emotions were more apparent in the nightmare segment? I felt that it was appropriate to do so to fully reflect her current state of mind. The training montage was done like that because I honestly have no idea about anything regarding training... I'll probably have to amend that soon.

I also noticed i had trouble depicting other characters... I may have to reread the novels soon.

Well, hoped you liked this chapter. If I find some extra time, I might be able to finish writing the next chapter and post it on or before Sunday. If not, well the next chapter will be uploaded next week.


	6. Chapter 5: Their fears

Hahaha! Morning everyone, here's the new chapter of TDoI (this acronym is missing a t but it felt awkward adding it now). Apologies for the slight delay, had to deal with a few things regarding this chapter. I've also been spending some time doing research to improve my writing skillz. I've realized that I completely suck at describing things like objects and places so I'm trying my best to remedy that. I also had to reread some of the DxD novesl to make sure details are consistent with canon.

Chapter notes at the bottom, please take the time to read them.

Side note: This chapter is a bit more serious in comparison to the others... there's actually no comedy in this one. Explanations at the bottom

Review responses:

First of all, thank you for all those that had taken the time to review. Your thoughts and inputs are greatly appreciated. It's nice to know that you enjoy the omakes and like the characterization of my version of Ophis.

Guest: Literal answer- I wrote it XD. If you were asking its source of inspiration then it was inspired by a certain review.

The Fairy King: F/SN was what showed me exactly how awesome a fight scene can be without any real animation. Anyway, as for F/HA, yes it is a direct sequel of F/SN, however due to the nature of the story, the route it had followed is never made apparent. I played the Japanese version some time ago (though my Japanese very limited) so can;t tell you much about it.

Unseen Lurker: *Widens eyes in realization* *shakes head and formulates and excuse* W-Well, I would like to make use of Hyouri-san a bit more so I would set up a few more complicated situations in the future before the big reveal.

Karlos1234ify: Ophis dreams serve both as a premonition and reflection of her current state of mind. That's probably all i can say to that question.

WarriorMan199456: Thank you for taking the time to review this fic, I am a fan of your work. Though due to the lack of internet connection at home, I am unable to read fanfics regularly so I'll probably wait a few more chapters before putting in a review. On a side note, your update rate is insane! That is awesome :D  
**  
****Disclaimer: **Do I profit from this? Heavens no! I swear to the Oppai God that I only do this for fun

Ready... Aim... Fire!  
**  
===The Dream of the Infinite===**

_She was aware of it now but that didn't make it feel any better. _

"_AHAHAHAHAHAH! Come on now dragon god! Is this really all you can manage?!"_

_The man kept taunting her. His face was obscured and was difficult to see. The only things she could make out were his bloodshot eyes and manic grin._

"_So where is all that power you are known for?! Don't you want to protect this boy from me?!"_

_The man kept taunting has he kept a firm grip on Ise's neck as he swung him around like a doll. She could only helplessly look at the horribly injured Ise as she stood frozen in place._

"_What's wrong huh?! Can't move? AHAHAHAHAHAHA! ARE YOU FROZEN IN FEAR OF ME?!"_

_She wanted to speak but not even her lips could move. It was as if countless unbreakable threads were wrapped around her body, tying her down to the ground. She felt extremely weak. _

"_Well seeing as you don't seem to care for this boy… then I'll just do what I want with him!"_

_The man raised his empty hand and brought to one Ise's arm. He then tightened his grip on both the neck and the arm. _

_He then pulled them apart with barely any effort. The arm separated from the body with a sickening sound. _

"_HAHAHAHAHA! To think that humans are so damn fragile! Hey look, his arm barely even offered any resistance! It felt like ripping paper in two!"_

_The man threw away the arm and placed his hand on the skin of Ise's thigh._

"_Now I wonder… will it be difficult to rip off this boy's skin?"_

…

…

…

She opened her eyes and sat up suddenly from her position. She was a bit stiff and she was taking quick, short breaths. Images of a bloody Ise flashing through her mind as he was being literally torn apart by a man whose face she couldn't see.

**[Another nightmare Ophis?]**

A roar made her come back to her senses. Composing herself she responded with a small nod. Despite the fact that the red dragon should not have been able to see such a response, it still somehow knew she nodded.

**[That makes four days straight… It had grown in frequency even more]**

She let out a small sigh. The nightmares had only come once in a while but as time passed it had come to her more frequently. Now she had one every time she attempted to sleep. The nightmares made her weary.

Great Red did have the ability to regulate her dreams so that she would not experience any nightmares but she had prevented the red dragon from doing so, stating that she had wanted to see if she could make out any details from the nightmare.

She sat in seiza on top of Great Red's head and took a few deep breaths. She found that doing this had helped her calm down more quickly. Great Red waited patiently for her to respond.

After a few more minutes, she replied.

"… The dreams have indeed become more frequent to a troubling extent… I can only guess that…"

**[It would mean that whatever is gonna happen is gonna happen soon]**

"Yes... and it troubles me to no end"

Both of them had already agreed that the nightmares serve as a warning of some sort. An omen that foretold the events that may happen in the near future. Though it may have once been waived off as a result of incessant worrying, the frequency and consistency of the nightmares couldn't simply be ignored.

**[At the very least you know that something will occur. We can at least prepare to a certain extent]**

"Despite knowing that _something_ _will_ happen we have no knowledge _what_ it is. Preparing for every possibility is… impossible"

It was left unsaid that neither of them had any experience with dealing with such things. They were already powerful at the time of their birth. They had simply ignored everything that would cause them any problems and everything else ignored them in kind in fear of being eliminated.

'_It is indeed difficult… dealing with such a foreign situation… I can only wonder what difficulty the others had faced when presented with such things' _

**[What of your nightmares? Any clues we can get from them?]**

"There's a possibility… However the only thing I can understand even after seeing it several times is that Ise's death will be involved and that a man will be the perpetrator"

**[…Far too vague. Though I've seen some of your dreams as well… I can't get any concrete details either]**

What she saw in her dreams were better left unsaid so knew Great Red had deliberately glossed over it quickly. Seeing Ise horribly injured or in great amount of pain made her suffer greatly and though the red dragon was not as close to the boy, it too was not willing to witness such horrifying imagery of a boy it was fond of.

"The problem remains. My vessel may possess some power… however its combat ability is low."

**[Are you able to switch places at will?]**

"… It is possible but would take too much time. During a crisis, it would not suffice"

**[…and you can't just go there in your actual body because you'll draw more attention. So how do you want to deal with this?]**

The vessel she created was utilized in order to avoid unnecessary attention from other forces since doing so would put Ise in danger. The vessel she created was actually a fragment of her actual body, designed to be a completely perfect copy of herself. The only difference with the vessel and her main body was the level of power and the presence of her consciousness.

"…"

She closed her eyes and contemplated. Leaving the dimensional gap and going to Ise's side was not an option. She would surely attract unnecessary attention and may even worsen the situation. Every faction would surely notice her arrival so she needed to find a way to be able to access her power quickly without fail in case of an emergency.

'_There are many things to consider. Far too many things…'_

She tried to think of the variables involved and possible actions that she could take and the consequences they may have. She tried to think what the others would do if they were faced with the same situation.

She reviewed all her options. Starting with the most obvious and often repeated one.

'_Leaving the dimensional gap in my main body to guard Ise is still an option… however there are far too many negative aspects to such a plan'_

Drawing attention to Ise may possibly increase the level of danger and number of enemies. Many would take interest in a human being that dragon god would willingly guard and protect. Some would take it Ise as her weakness and make use of him to gain control of her.

There was no way she would ever allow Ise to be put into such a situation or anyone else related to him. Her beliefs and principles were instilled by Ise and everyone else; she had no intention of betraying them.

'_It may also make the enemy more cautious… they may withdraw and make more preparations. I only know of a few but there are methods that could be used to supress me…'_

Giving an enemy time to make proper preparations would make matters worse. Despite her power, there are still ways to restrict her, a fact proven by the Khaos Brigade's hero faction. Samael would probably be at the top of the list of things that could be used against her but she had no doubt that a competent enemy may find other means.

'_However, compared to that time, there should be no other capable of recognizing me from physical appearance... The only way for them to learn my identity is through sensing my power'_

Both Great Red and herself were classified as true shape shifters. Their appearances could easily be altered at will without effort hence their appearance would not contribute to the recognition of their identity.

'_The fallen angel governor Azazel had once given me aid in entering town without being detected by having me use some type of device… however such a thing is beyond my reach right now'_

Even if she were to supress her power, power on such a scale even if suppressed or masked would still be easily detected and recognized by any astute and competent enemy. If the enemy they were facing was not even capable of recognizing her from that then they would truly pose no danger for them of for Ise.

'_However in the case that our enemy is indeed at that level of competence, the best course of action would be… to defeat the enemy without making my identity known... Hence if the only clue to my identity is my power then I must simply make sure that I do not display such a high level of power'_

She came to conclusion. She knew the fact that she was thinking far too simplistic and that she was not able to consider many other factors and variables; however this is what she could conclude from her observations.

'… _It would mean I must simply reduce my level of power' _

Doing such a thing was not difficult. She possessed various ways to do so; one of said ways had been utilized when Samael had held her in its grasp to suck her power.

"… I may have a solution although it would surely prove to be a dangerous one…"

She at the very least knew the consequences that such a plan may have. Even so she would prefer to use it.

**[We don't have much of a choice. It would cause more trouble if I were the one to protect the boy. Like you my power is far too large and noticeable. Not to mention I cannot simply leave the dimensional gap. Let's hear it]**

She took in Great Red's words. She had considered pointing out what the red dragon had just stated but decided against it. It was both inappropriate for the current discussion and detrimental to her intentions.

'_It has begun… Ise's conquest of Great Red... it will progress further as long as I do not interfere… '_

She let out small smile but immediately shifted her face blank facade. She knew Great Red could still see her despite not looking at her so it was better to be sure. She shook her head a bit and continued the discussion.

"I… can disperse my power and allow it to take the form of snakes. I can hide them in places I can easily access if I need to"

**[Similar to that dream you had that involved that wretched Samael? Though it might be a good idea, it will leave you vulnerable]**

It was indeed the same thing she had done with Samael. In order to avoid getting the majority of her power stolen away by the dragon eater Samael, she had quickly dispersed her power, making it take the form of snakes and hiding it nearby.

"It will… but at the very least I will be able to respond to danger more quickly and at the same time not allow anyone to discover my identity… The latter is crucial to protect and preserve the current life of Ise and his family. Besides, you will be here to protect my main body. That will be your duty"

'_Yes… be it Ise's physical body, his mind or his current state of life. I will protect it all without fail. I will not allow him to be in pain or sadness'_

The red dragon did not respond but Ophis took it as an agreement to her plan. Silence from Great red essentially equated to agreement.

**[…Why does this have to be so complicated? Plans, strategies and tactics, we had never needed such things…]**

"That is because we only ever needed to fend of threats against ourselves. The threat we must deal with now is targeting Ise. Careless actions will only make matters worse for him and those around him. I cannot allow that"

They were beings whose powers were unequalled. There wasn't really anything that could pose a threat to them. Those that were actually stupid enough to try were easily eliminated. This time however, they were protecting someone and that was a completely different thing entirely.

Protecting someone took far more than just carelessly using one's power to eliminate the opponent.

**[Hmph… I'm surprised you were able to come up with this in the first place]**

"… I am not well versed in such things. No… It would be better to say I am no better than a beginner. I myself recognize that my way of thinking is crude and unrefined. Strategy and tactics would be better left to the others."

She paused for a moment to recall her family in the other world. Gremory Rias, fallen angel Azazel or pretty much anyone else would have surely been able to propose a better plan to deal with the situation.

"… However they are not here, hence the responsibility falls onto me. I am sure that there are many things I had not been able to consider, and there may be other ways to approach this situation… but for now this is the best I can come up with."

She was sure that if her old family was here she they would be able to point out the many flaws her plan had. In the first place she was simply trying to imitate how the others had formulated one.

**[Heh… well I have no qualms with it. Though I still feel it to be unnecessary I see nothing wrong with your plan.]**

"Is that so… Then we shall proceed with this"

Despite everything, there was a hint of uncertainty in her voice.

'_Will it be enough? Is my plan too naïve?'_

Such thoughts ran through her mind. In truth she still felt that her plan was inadequate. Something was telling her that despite all her efforts that she would still fail.

'_No… for now I can simply do what I can to protect Ise'_

She proceeded to think over the situation and tried to see if there was any other way to approach it.

**[What of the boy? Is his training progressing?]**

After a few minutes, Great Red had decided to break the silence. Seeing as she had not come to any other conclusion she decided to respond.

"His training is progressing quite well… He is able to use the boosted gear, however…"

They had recently started training with the Sacred Gear. Though Ise seems to be capable of using its abilities without problem, another matter was of concern.

**[So that… Draig was it? So the Welsh Dragon has yet to respond?]**

"Yes… I find it strange however it seems he is still sleeping. I do not know what may be the cause"

She had tried various things to stimulate Draig's consciousness awake but to no avail. She felt that it was similar to the situation they had in the past after they had left the dimensional gap.

At that time, Draig had exhausted his power due having dealt with Samael's curse, maintaining Ise's soul inside the scale mail, Ise's revival, and using his power during the battle against Cao Cao. During Draig's slumber, Ise was still able to utilize the main functions of the Booster Gear and was even able to utilize Balance Breaker. The only abilities he was unable to access was his Triaina and True Queen forms.

Dues to this they were fortunately able to continue with Sacred Gear Training, much to Ise's relief.

**[Tch… Must be the memory transfer. Unlike myself, that one probably has more to deal with since he had spent far more time with the boy]**

It was a possible explanation. Draig had been with Ise from birth and had stayed with him till his death. There was no other existence in that had spent more time with Ise.

"That… is possible, though I feel somewhat skeptical. It feels as though Draig simply didn't want to respond…or maybe he was simply unable to…"

It was what she felt as she had used her power while in her vessel. It had felt as if Draig himself had refused to respond to her call. The lack of response had greatly worried her as well since she had been able to develop a close relationship with the welsh dragon in their former world.

'_Draig and I had become friends… I had looked forward to talking with him again about the past…' _

**[Maybe I should pay a visit to the Welsh Dragon's consciousness and-]**

The sudden pause Great Red made caught Ophis' attention.

**[Ophis… You should return to your vessel]**

"?"

The statement confused her. She was sure that no danger was present and her vessel, along with Ise should currently be sleeping so she had no idea why there was a need for her to return suddenly.

**[The boy needs your presence. His dream has gotten chaotic. A dream like this may damage the boy's mind]**

Her eyes widen in realization and she went back to laying down on top of Great Red's head and proceeded to transfer her consciousness.

**===The Dream of the Infinite===**

It was different. The dreams he had usually seen felt different from what he was seeing now. The battles would bring him excitement and a bit of fear while the depictions of everyday life would bring him happiness and many other wonderful experiences.

This dream in comparison, felt horrible.

He knew he was dreaming. He wanted to wake up but couldn't. He wanted to close his eyes and block his sight but couldn't. He wanted to cover his ears to stop hearing the voices but couldn't.

It was as if he was being forced to experience the dream no matter what.

"_Asia? Where did you go? Hey let's go home. We're going home. Tou-san and Kaa-san are waiting. I-If you hide then we won't be able to go home."_

It was the voice of the older version of him. The hero he admired, his ideal self, the one who had fought difficult battles and overcame powerful opponents, the one who had saved countless lives and was loved by many. The man he hoped to someday reach was now truly desperate and frightened.

Fear, desperation, self-denial, self-deprecation… He couldn't possibly put such things into words but he had felt them clearly.

'_Why? What are these feelings? I-It hurts… It really hurts. S-Stop…. p-please stop…'_

He pleaded. He begged. He wanted it to stop. He just wanted to wake up.

"_Asia? Let's go home. Now, there is no one here anymore who would bully you Asia. Even if there was, I would beat them up! That's why let's go back. Asia, we still have to do the three-legged race for the sports festival…"_

'_Asia? T-that's right, Asia-san. S-she had blonde hair and was really kind…. W-what happened to Asia-san? Did something happen to her?'_

A nun with blonde hair, one who was kind and gentle. One he saw in his dreams often. She was a girl capable of healing others with her power. She was a girl that was very precious and needed to be protected. He was the one who should be protecting her.

"_Buchou, I can't find Asia. Even though we are finally able to go home. We still need to hide under the basement like Sensei told us, but if Asia isn't here…T-Tou-san and Kaa-san said Asia was their daughter. Asia also said Tou-san and Kaa-san were like her real parents as well… She is my…She is our important family…"_

'_Family? Yes… family. Asia-san is also family like Ophis-chan… She is precious and important…'_

He could feel his chest aching and his heart becoming heavy. He could feel the sadness, the grief, the fear that he may never again see someone that was important to him.

"_Vulgar reincarnated-devil and that dragon trash. The princess of Gremory seriously has horrible taste indeed. That girl disappeared beyond to the dimensional gap. Her body should have perished by now. –It means, she died."_

'…_She died? Asia-san… is dead?'_

Those words felt like it crushed his chest into pieces. The torrent of emotions that his older self was experiencing was overwhelming him. Every single emotion weighed down on him.

_**Kill him! Destroy him! Rip him to apart! Tear him limb from limb! **_

He could hear them. Voices that told him, urged him to go wild.

[The devil over there, Shalba was your name, right? You…]

_**WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?! DESTROY HIM! DO NOT ALLOW THAT MAN TO LIVE!**_

The voices started to grow louder and became more distorted.

[Made the wrong choice]

He could see his older self stand in frozen in place. He could feel the air grow colder and hostile.

'_S-Stop... W-what's happening!? I-I don't understand!'_

_**[I, the on to awaken]**_

_**Don't stop! Go deeper! You must take your revenge!**_

He could hear them. The voices. This time more voices had joined in as the chant started. They were filled with fury, rage, despair and resignation.

'_N-no… I-I don't… don't do this….'_

He pleaded. He begged his older self to stop. He didn't understand but he somehow knew that his older self shouldn't do this or else something bad would happen.

_**[One of the two dragons who had stolen the principles of domination from God**_

_**Don't hesitate! Don't falter! This is the only way! This is the only path to power!**_

'_Stop! Please stop! Don't do it!'_

He felt like he was being dragged down. Countless hands were grabbing on to him and started pulling him down. He tried shaking them off, but the hands were far too persistent.

_**[I laugh at the infinite, I grieve at the dream] **_

_**Nothing matters! Nothing must stop you! REJECT EVERYTHING! DESTROY EVERYTHING! **_

'_This… This isn't what a hero should do! So please stop!'_

He could feel the strong urge to destroy, to hate, to reject. He was sinking further and further into the abyss. He struggled with every bit of strength he could muster but the hold on him only grew stronger. He felt his strength being sapped away slowly.

_**[I shall become the red dragon of domination]**_

_**Choose it. Fall into darkness and envelop yourself in it. Destruction is the only path! Destroy! Destroy!**_ _**DESTROY! DESTROY!**_

'_NO! NOOOO!STOOOOOP!'_

He could feel the darkness enveloping him. It was thick and dense akin to mud. His body was starting to get progressively heavier every second. He knew he was shouting but he couldn't even hear his own voice.

_**[JUGGERNAUT DRIVE]**_

The last image he saw before he was fully engulfed was the older version of himself in a more intimidating, more frightening, more dragon-like armour.

"GUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

**=={TDoI}==**

As she finished transferring her consciousness, she heard a desperate scream.

"GUUUUUAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!"

She opened her eyes to see Ise hugging his knees. His body was drenched in sweat and he was shaking badly. She thought of what to do for a moment then decided to take action.

'_In such a situation… an embrace and words of comfort would be for the best'_

She used some power and changed her form. Her small body that reflected that of young child was replaced with an older, more mature form. It was a body she had modelled after Grayfia Lucifugus, the maid of the Gremory household and the wife of Sirzechs Lucifer. It was a form she would use on occasion during training.

'_This form should be more adequate…'_

"Ise… Everything is fine… you had just been dreaming" She did her best to comfort Ise as she enveloped him in a tight embrace. She gently stroked his hair to calm him down further.

The action was something she could have performed even in her younger form but she often observed that it was the more mature members of the group felt that enacted the gesture and so felt that older body would be more appropriate.

"A-a dream…. right… just… just a dream…"Ise calmed down slightly as Ophis kept on stroking his hair. He adjusted himself into a more comfortable position.

They stayed like that for several minutes until Ise calmed down completely.

'_Ise had calmed down… that is a relief. His current state must be addressed however. I am quite sure that staying as he is now may affect his health'_

"Ise… you are drenched in sweat…there is a need to change your clothes" Though her knowledge of human health was lacking, she was at least aware that Ise shouldn't be left as he was now. There were many opportunities in the past to observe the others take care of each other. She recognized the need to wipe off the sweat on a sick person's body though she didn't exactly know why.

"Un…." Ise replied with a quiet voice and undressed while on the bed as Ophis went to fetch a towel and a change of clothes. She returned just as Ise had finished undressing and she proceeded to wipe the sweat of his body.

'_He seems to still be shaken… Should I ask the contents of his dream or would it be more appropriate not to?' _

She pondered on whether she should have Ise talk with her about his dream but decided against it. She wasn't sure if it would make him feel better just talking about it nor was she sure that she could give the appropriate words to comfort him.

'_Himejima Akeno had once said to me that careless words may only serve to hurt more. I am not confident that I can comfort him with words properly so it is better to continue what I am doing instead'_

She put aside the towel after finishing and helped Ise get dressed. She climbed back into bed with Ise and pulled him back into an embrace. Continuing the head patting session they were having earlier.

"… Ise should continue his sleep" Unlike her who could stay awake for an indefinite amount of time, Ise was human and hence he needed an adequate amount of sleep in order to function properly.

"I… I don't wanna to sleep…" Ise replied weakly. It was apparent to Ophis that he was tired. He had been taxing his body far more during their training so she knew Ise was exhausted and needed rest.

"I… don't wanna see that dream again…" He continued. Hearing those words had gave her a strange feeling.

'…_My sleep had also been plagued with nightmares… Yes… though it is an inappropriate thought in this kind of situation, right now I am able to greatly relate to Ise…'_

Despite the current situation she couldn't help but feel somewhat satisfied by how she was able to feel that she could properly relate to Ise. Right now they shared the same kind of pain and knowing that fact made her feel like they have connected.

"It is fine, I will protect Ise from the nightmares" She said such words with certainty and the confidence had somehow gotten through Ise. In a few moments, Ise surrendered himself to sleep.

She continued to stroke his head as he slept.

"Pleasant dreams Ise. I will protect you"

**===The Dream of the Infinite===**

The next day had been a bit more difficult for Ise. He was finished with basic training and was currently training in the use of his Sacred Gear activating it and seeing how far he could boost and how power he could wield at most.

**[BOOST!]**

A sound could be heard as the first ten seconds upon activation elapsed. He could feel his power double. The boosted gear was capable of doubling the wielders power every ten seconds, a completely absurd ability.

'_Ophis-chan said that boosting my power too much might hurt me but I wanna see how far I can get'_

One of the few limitations of his sacred gear was the capacity of the owner itself. Though the boosted gear was capable of doubling its wielder's power every ten seconds there was still the fact that far too much power could possibly crush the wielder's body.

He had once attempted to carelessly boost too much causing the boosted gear to [Burst]. The majority of the power he accumulated dispersed into the air and he fainted.

'_Ophis-chan scolded me for doing that…'_

A scolding from Ophis was essentially her telling him not to do something in a deep and stern tone as she looked emotionlessly at him. It was rather effective.

**[BOOST!]**

"I wonder where Ophis-chan is…" He wondered as another ten seconds came by. Ophis, who was usually within proximity wherever he was, was currently absent. It was probably the first time he had been separated from her for more than an hour since they met. The only other times she was gone was to make short preparations for her exotic training.

It made him feel pretty lonely. He got so accustomed to her presence that it felt off when she wasn't present.

'_I think she said something about hiding snakes… Is it for training?'_

Various imagery of being chased, attacked, and eaten by snakes flooded his mind making his face pale for a second. A lot of his exotic training was surviving and fighting against snakes that could only be described as monstrous.

On a side note, despite the abuse he had experienced due to snakes, he had never developed a fear or aversion towards them.

**[BOOST!]**

'_I wonder when Ophis-chan will be back? It feels weird when she isn't here…'_

He was reminded of the warmth he felt when Ophis pulled him into an embrace as she comforted him. He had difficulty imagining how horrible it wold have felt if she wasn't there to comfort him.

'… _Do I also have to go through that someday?'_

Despite his attempts to forget his dream, the images and the emotions he had felt as he viewed it kept coming to his mind. He could still hear the voices that urged him to destroy. He could still feel the heavy weight on his chest as his older self cried for the girl named Asia.

Most of all he could still feel the hands that dragged him down into the darkness as he heard the ominous chant that seemed to be coming out of his older self's mouth.

**[BOOST!]**

'_It… really looked like a monster…'_

He shivered involuntarily as he recalled the image of the armour his older self had donned after the chant had ended. It was the last image he had seen before he had woken up. The armour had looked wilder and more dragon-like; it was far more intimidating than anything he had ever seen.

'…_and then there was that person…'_

Shalba, he recalled. It was what the voice from his older self's sacred gear had called the enemy. He attempted to recall details of the man's face but found it difficult to do so. The faces of the people that appeared in his dream were still slightly obscured and difficult to properly describe.

'…_but I can still remember what he feels like'_

The mere thought of the man would make him feel angry. He felt a strong urge to punch something every time he even thought of the name.

'_Stop… calm down… just focus on training' _

**[BOOST!]**

His fifth boost came and the jewel on his gauntlet slowly turned from green to yellow. A sacred gear responds to its owner's will and emotions and develops accordingly. In Ise's case, the jewel turns bright yellow to indicate that the maximum safest number of boost had been reached while it turned blue when the adequate number of boost to defeat an opponent had been reached.

They were both extremely useful functions especially the latter one as he had a great amount of trouble in the past determining whether he had enough power to beat the occasional giant snake he had to face in training.

_**Sekiryuutei**_

A sudden feeling of danger came over him. He became alert and made use of the senses he had sharpened during training. He made no sudden movements and tried to detect any presence nearby and looked around.

'_What was that?' _

He felt as if he had heard a familiar voice. He couldn't identify where he had heard it before but the feeling it provoked in him was something he had felt recently.

'_Eh?... Bees?'_

He noticed that the area had bees flying about. It was an unusual sight as there shouldn't be any bees there. He could feel an aversion towards them for some unknown reason. He watched carefully as the number of bees seemed to have increased.

**[BOOST!]**

He prepared himself for any attack that may come. He was ready to activate his sacred gear to apply the power he had built up.

**[EXPLOSION!]**

He stopped the power build to stabilize himself. He felt like an attack was coming soon and he didn't want to risk wasting the power he had built up if he was attacked while boosting.

A moment later, his prediction came true. The bees in the area gathered together as it approached him and he prepared to strike.

Suddenly the bees burst into black flames and the flames took a form that felt very familiar to him.

_**I've found you**_

The flames disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. Ise was left frozen in place trying to comprehend what had just happened. He looked around and tried to detect any presence but failed to find anything.

It was as if what had happened in the past few seconds was nothing more than an illusion.

**===The Dream of the Infinite===**

"Fu…FUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHA!"

He laughed like a madman as images of a certain boy flashed in his mind. The boy had short brown hair and light brown eyes. The boy couldn't be more than 8 years old from what he could determine based from the boy's physical appearance.

The most important detail was of course, the red gauntlet he had been using.

"So the boy had already awakened his sacred gear? Heh… It's not like it would matter. Trash will remain trash no matter what happens. In fact it had only made the search that much easier"

The grin he had on his face and the look in his eyes would make anyone who had seen it doubt his sanity.

"Hmmm?"

He stopped himself as a new set of images flooded his mind. He had dispersed most of the bees he had created but he had left some in the vicinity to further observe the boy.

Images of a mature black haired woman with dull grey eyes flashed in his mind. He found a sense of familiarity as he saw the woman and felt that he had seen her somewhere before.

The realization came in after he was reminded of a certain young black haired girl that had appeared in his dream.

Ophis. That name resounded within his mind.

"Hooooh? The form is indeed similar… Could it be?"

The Ouroboros dragon. The dragon god. The one who was the 'infinite' born from 'nothingness' inside the dimensional gap.

"… So the dragon god itself has made an appearance…"

'_Far too similar to be a coincidence… both the dragon god and the true dragon are known to be true shape shifters so assuming an older form would be child's play to them'_

"Tch… that rotten dragon god must be guarding the Sekiryuutei… Though I can't seem to detect any power from her…"

He considered the implications of his observations. Though the knowledge of the appearance of the dragon god would most likely hamper his attempts on torturing and killing the current Sekiryuutei, there should be a way for him to succeed.

'_Now how to proceed? I am not foolish enough to think I would be able to match that dragon god in power… however I have no doubts that my intellect is far superior'_

"Shalba-chan~ "

A voice had brought him out of his musings. The door to the room he had been staying had suddenly opened to reveal a man with dark silver hair.

"Uhyahyahyahya! You seem to be busy lately Shalba-chan!"

'_Such a foolish way of laughing… Rizevim Lucifer… Why is he here?'_

"Oi Shalba-chan, you shouldn't look at me so apprehensively you know~"

The whimsical man gave him a grin. He didn't bother to hide his apprehension but had decided to reply with some respect.

"Rizevim Lucifer, may I ask what you are doing here?"

If Rizevim had noticed the hint of annoyance and irritation in Shalba's voice, he paid it no heed.

"Uhyahyahyahya…. I had just noticed that my junior had been strange lately and had noticed you say some rather interesting words"

'_Hmph… So he had been here long enough to hear it. For me to not have detected his presence… How long had he been observing me and since when had he started?' _

Rizevim put on a knowing smile as if he was able to read into his thoughts. He scoffs to express his irritation.

"Now… what was this about a dragon god?"

**===The Dream of the Infinite===**

**=={Journey}==**

'_How much time had passed since he had left?'_

She pondered; she hadn't really paid attention to the number of days that had passed. Her perception of time had been skewed. To her it felt like the time was going strangely fast. She wouldn't be surprised if a year had already gone by without her noticing.

'_How… empty'_

She stared at the sky as if waiting for something to come. She simply stayed completely still in her current position. Her hands were clasped together and were placed on top of her stomach. Anyone who would have seen her would comment that she looked as if she was lying inside a coffin.

'_What… is it that I am waiting for?'_

Even she didn't know the answer. She had wandered around, travelling from various places across the world with no real destination in mind.

She would go to a certain place, look around and observe the sights and the people that lived there, once she felt that there was nothing else to see, she would leave. Rinse and repeat.

[It had already been two years you know]

A voice had spoken within her mind. It didn't come as a shock to her as she had already grown accustomed to it. It was the voice of her companion.

"It… had been that long Draig?"

She spoke those words with a hint of disbelief.

Her companion was the Welsh Dragon Draig, one of the Two Heavenly Dragons, the Red Dragon Emperor. An existence that was confined inside the Longinus called Booster Gear, a sacred gear capable of doubling the power of its wielder every ten seconds.

[It has. It had been that long since you became a wanderer, Ophis]

Draig referred to her name. Truth be told she had not heard her own name for some time. Her companion had only ever spoken to her within the confines of her mind and had no need to refer to her by name.

"I see… it had been that long since Ise…"

She didn't finish her words. It wasn't due to the fact that she did not like talking about 'that' particular topic with her companion; it was simply because she did not like speaking of a certain 'word'.

[Yes… it had been that long since partner had passed on]

The Welsh dragon on the other hand had decided to use a different way saying it. The conversation ended with those words however.

She closed her eyes to contemplate. It had been two years since Ise had passed on. Two years since she had decided to leave her home on a journey with Draig as her companion.

She had no real objective to accomplish, no goal to achieve, not even any destination to reach. She wandered aimlessly, simply allowing the flow of events to guide her to the next place.

"Draig, why did you choose to accompany me?"

She threw a question towards her companion. Strangely enough she had never taken the chance to ask before despite her curiosity. Shortly after Ise had passed on, the Welsh Dragon had requested her to take the Boosted Gear that contained his soul with her.

[Hmmm? Ah, to be honest I decided that on the spur of the moment]

Draig replied honestly. He paused, most likely to consider what to say.

[To put it simply… I wanted partner to be my last wielder]

The word ''partner" was said with a hint of nostalgia and endearment. She listened intently to her companion's words, trying to see and understand their meanings and implications.

[The thought of having someone else wield my power didn't sit quite well with me. There was always a chance that my next host would some petty human who would probably just use me for their own benefit…]

[It is not as if I had not had that type of host before]

'Irritation' and 'exasperation', she noted were present as her companion spoke about another host.

[If it turned out like that then I felt like I my legacy with partner would be tarnished]

A hint 'pride' could be felt as her companion spoke of the word "legacy".

'_A new host may use Draig as a tool for performing evil deeds. Draig feels that such a thing would tarnish the name and legacy of the Sekiryuutei that he had built with Ise. Hence he decided to accompany me instead'_

She nodded to herself, satisfied that she was able to properly understand her companion's thoughts and feelings though his words. She felt that she had gotten quite skilled in doing so.

[You know… partner also wished for this]

That statement had caught her attention.

'_Ise… wished for Draig to accompany me?' _

[Partner wanted me to stay with you because he wanted to make sure you had someone to stay with you no matter what]

'_I see… even during such a time, he had still been worried about me'_

To worry for someone else even on his deathbed, it was certainly something that Ise would do.

'_His worries were most likely caused by my actions at the time…'_

She thought back on how she acted upon learning that Ise was going to die. She had been confused with the situation neither able nor willing to understand the situation.

'_Yes… I was… unable to understand back then…'_

Ise died. He was gone. She could not with him anymore. There was nothing that could be done to bring him back.

'_No… even now I am unable to understand nor accept it'_

There were times when she would call Ise's wanting to obtain his attention. There were times when she would wake up and try to find where Ise was so she could observe what he was doing. There were times when she would feel Ise was calling her name and she would look towards whichever direction she thought the call had come from. There were times when she could feel the warmth of his presence.

Every single time she would pause, remember where she was, and would come to the harsh realization that Ise wasn't there anymore.

Hyoudou Issei was gone and she would never see, hear, or feel him again. She would never feel his hand on her head, never feel the comfort of his lap, and never hear her name being called by his voice.

'_It is… painful and heavy…'_

She felt like that every time she came to the realization. She knew that Ise was gone but even the smallest things would make her keep hoping that maybe his death wasn't real. She held on to such an unrealistic and flimsy hope.

'_Maybe that is what I am waiting for...' _

She mused to herself. She must have gone on a journey in order to find any kind of proof that Ise's death was indeed just an illusion.

[Partner's gone Ophis]

Her companion spoke solemnly. Her companion could hear every single thought she had.

She sat up and gripped the hem of her dress.

"I know"

She replied. She had known such thing for a long time. She knew that the proof that she was searching for would never be found.

She knew but never wanted to admit to it.

[Ophis….]

"I know… however…"

Despite that she held on to that small bit of hope. She decided to believe in it despite knowing that nothing would ever come from it.

It was the only thing she could think of doing.

"I… just…want to see Ise again"

That was the only thing she had ever wanted, the only thought that had been going through her mind since Ise's death. No matter how impossible and unreasonable her hopes were, it was the only thing that gave her the chance of seeing Ise again.

Even there was a way she would try it. No matter how small the chances, no matter how much effort it took, no matter what she had to do she would do it. Even if it meant an eternity of suffering, for as long as it brought Ise back, she would do it.

"I want to see Ise again"

She repeated. Her grip on the hem of her dress tightened yet even then her face was noticeably blank.

"I want Ise to pat my head again"

She recalled the feeling of his hand stroking his hair and the smile he would give her.

"I want to sit on Ise's lap again"

She recalled the comfort and security she would feel as she leaned her back on him.

"I want to hear Ise calling my name again"

She recalled the sound of his voice as he would call her name casually.

"I… I want to see Ise"

Her face remained blank and her voice was even but there were tears in her eyes.

For the first time since her birth, for the first time since she had come to existence inside the dimensional gap, she hugged her knees and cried.

She had stayed in such a state, crying as she hugged knees close. Her companion had simply waited, silently offering his sympathies.

"… Ise… has died"

[Yes… he has]

It was painful to say for her. Those words that she had not allowed herself to speak were finally let out. She had never been willing to say it out of fear that it would eliminate any hope she had.

"I… will not see Ise again"

[No… you probably won't]

That one fact hurt more than anything else.

"It is unfair"

[I agree… It's unfair that he was the one to die]

She had only begun to learn, had only begun to understand and experience new things. There were many things she had still wanted to do. Things like going to school, playing with the others, learning many other things, and experiencing various emotions.

Yet now they were meaningless.

"I wanted to do more things with Ise"

[I'm sure partner wanted to do the same]

"… Draig"

[Yes?]

"It has become meaningless"

That's what she honestly felt. Things that had once caught her attention and her curiosity had become uninteresting. Things that she felt were enjoyable to do had become boring. There were still countless things in the world she had yet to do but the thought of wanting to try them had disappeared.

"I had wanted to experience many other things in the past… but now I've lost interest"

[Is that so?]

Only now did she understand the reason. The reason as to why she had enjoyed herself in the past. Why the things she had experience had been meaningful.

"… It was because of Ise. It was because of Ise that I had enjoyed this world. Hence without him it has become uninteresting"

[What… do you plan to do now then?]

The welsh dragon asked with caution. Ise's wish for him to accompany Ophis also carried the meaning of taking care of her and so he was afraid that Ophis might stray.

"I… will find a way to be with Ise"

She declared without hesitation. She stood up and began walking.

[Ophis… that is-]

"There is a way… There must be a way... and I will find it"

Despite Draig's attempt at dissuading her, Ophis remained resolute. Her voice was firm and unyielding so Draig had decided to allow her to continue on her newfound quest.

Afterall, Draig himself wanted to see his partner again.

'_It does not matter what must be done… I will succeed regardless'_

With that she had set a goal. A goal she would pursue no matter how long it took and no matter how much effort it would take.

There was no stopping a dragon god when she was determined. A fact that many will come to learn in the future.

**===The Dream of the Infinite===**

A/N: So chapter notes go here.

This chapter marks the start of the climax for this arc.

On of the primary reasons why this chapter got delayed was because I had trouble developing and arranging the sequence of events. I also had to make sure to put the adequate amount of detail in to serve both as foreshadowing and as context for later events. Seriously, this is harder than I thought it was. Props to all the authors out there, this shit is hard to do and all of you are awesome.

In this chapter is the introduction of Rizevim(Who will be playing a major role in this fic) along with the confirmation of Shalba(though I'm pretty sure that was beyond obvious to most of you). I've lost count on how many times I had to rewrite their scene because I had no idea how those two saw each other. I found that it was difficult to write Rizevim the most for some reason.

Another one is the absence of Devil Halcyon days segment. Though originally I had written one and was supposed to be part of this chapter, I decided that it felt inappropriate and that there was a need to maintain a level of tension. Hence I decided to replace it with the newly introduced {Journey} segment.

I originally wanted to show how Ophis had started her quest in reuniting with Ise in another world and the events that occurred during that time in a single chapter. However I felt that giving bits and pieces of those times while we approach the conclusion of this arc would give the current situation and the actions she is taking much more meaningful.

Well anyway, a metaphorical cookie for your thoughts?


End file.
